Columbia  (HnitJ^wftp 

THE  LIBRARIES 


LUITE  111  NG  tS    IN    EUROPE: 


0kctrl)cs  of  iTvatJcl 


FRANCE,    BELGIUM,    SWITZERLAND,    ITALY,    AUSTRIA,    PRUSSIA, 
GREAT    BRITAIN,    AND    IRELAND. 


'With   an   Appendix, 


CONTAINING    OBSERVATIONS    ON    EUROPEAN    CHARITIES    AND    MEDICAL 
INSTITUTIONS. 


BY  JOHN  W.  CORSON.  M.D. 


NEW    YORK: 

HARPER    &    BROTH.ERS,    PUB  t.  I  3  M  K  R  S, 
b'i   GL,FF'8TREI.l. 

1-348. 


53085 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty-eight,  by 

Harper  &:  Brothers, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


27  FEB  84 


a 


-e 


•s    * 


iDcbicateb 


TO 


MY    FATHER, 


PREFACE. 


The  reasons  for  publishing,  on  the  present  occasion,  are  so 
much  like  those  of  other  people  who  have  written  similar 
books,  that,  to  prevent  repetition,  the  author  takes  the  liberty 
of  referring  for  them  to  some  other  preface.  One  or  two  fea- 
tures in  the  work,  however,  seem  to  require  a  few  words  of 
explanation.  It  has  been  rather  the  result  of  accident  than 
otherwise. 

When  about  to  embark  for  Europe,  on  a  professional  tour, 
some  two  years  since,  he  was  unexpectedly  solicited  by  friends, 
to  whose  kindness  he  had  been  previously  indebted,  to  write  a 
few  traveling  letters  for  a  leading  journal,  in  which  they  were 
interested.  He  consented  to  serve  anonymously,  and  thus  ap- 
peared the  earlier  part  of  this  volume. 

Those  most  interested  happened  to  be  persons  of  strong  re- 
ligious feelings,  and  he  was  thus  naturally  led  occasionally  to 
express  his  more  serious  thoughts.  Shielded  by  a  convenient 
mask,  on  the  other  hand,  each  letter  was  a  sort  of  confidential 
circular  to  certain  friends  in  the  secret.  He  indulged  at  will  in 
detailing  trifling  personal  adventures,  as  a  relief  to  graver  mat- 
ters, and  felt  little  restraint  upon  innocent  playfulness.  These 
buoyant  feelings  were  as  balm  to  spirits  before  depressed  by 
care  and  bereavement,  and  he  rather  courted  them. 

Having  thus  begun,  like  some  people  in  talking,  he  found  it 
hard  to  stop.     He  journeyed  farther,  and  wrote  more  than  he 

A 


PREFACE. 


expected  ;  and  a  combination  of  circumstances  induced  him 
afterward  to  finish  the  series  in  a  small  volume. 

The  free,  gossiping  style  of  the  commencement  was  con- 
tinued from  choice.  It  seemed  the  most  natural.  He  noted 
every  change  of  cloud  or  sunshine  that  came  over  him,  to  con- 
vey to  others  the  sensations  of  traveling.  Such  things  are  com- 
monly read  as  substitutes  for  the  exercise  itself;  and  he  treat- 
ed the  reader  as  an  intimate  companion,  telling  him  of  his  joys 
and  sorrows,  not  to  be  egotistical,  but  to  make  the  illusion  more 
complete,  and  carry  him,  as  it  were,  to  the  spot.  He  hopes 
such  confidence  will  not  be  abused.  The  better  to  accomplish 
his  purpose,  he  sometimes  designedly  '■'•  loitered''''  over  the  merest 
trifles.  Like  a  landscape  painter,  if  you  please,  he  tried  to 
make  the  picture  more  truthful  by  interspersing,  among  greater 
objects,  blades  of  grass,  insects,  pebbles,  and  creeping  flowers. 

In  addition,  the  writer  has,  from  the  first,  firmly  resolved  to 
be  good-natured.  The  peace  interests  of  the  world,  and  the 
softening  of  national  prejudices,  seem  to  require  that  the  foibles 
of  every  people  should  be  dwelt  upon  and  reproved  rather  by 
their  own  countrymen  than  by  strangers.  We  justly  com- 
plained of  certain  foreigners,  who  repaid  our  best  hospitalities 
with  libels  on  our  political  and  social  institutions.  The  writei' 
prefers  erring,  if  at  all,  on  the  side  of  charity.  He  is  willing 
to  forego  the  credit  for  patriotism  gained  by  abusing  our  neigh- 
bors. He  saw,  every  where,  more  to  praise  than  to  blame  ; 
and,  in  looking  at  things  on  the  bright  side,  he  only  followed 
the  golden  rule. 

Few  are  more  liable  to  imposition,  from  interested  parties, 
than  travelers  ;  and  it  is  possible  that,  with  all  the  care  taken, 
there  may  have  crept  in  slight  inaccuracies. 

With  the  advice  of  valued  friends,  a  couple  of  lectures  on 
European  Charities  and  Poor,  delivered  while  these  sheets 
were  passing  through  the  press,  and  embodying  materials  gath- 
ered in  attempting  to  execute  a  commission  in  behalf  of  a 


TREFACE. 


benevolent  society,  with  some  emendations,  have  been  inserted, 
in  an  Appendix.  The  local  allusions  they  contain  are  merely 
applications  of  general  principles,  important  to  common  hu- 
manity. The  letter  on  Foreign  Hospitals  and  Schools  of  Med- 
icine explains  itself. 

In  excuse  for  some  of  the  defects  of  the  work,  the  writer 
may  state,  that  higher  obligations  have  made  it  throughout  a 
secondary  matter.  More  than  a  year  or  more  than  half  the 
time  spent  abroad,  was  passed  in  close  confinement  among 
the  hospitals  of  Paris,  Vienna,  and  London.  His  tours  were 
mostly  but  long  vacations,  and  his  "  Loiterings"  often  neces- 
sarily brief  He  endeavored  to  make  up  for  these  disadvan- 
tages as  well  as  he  could,  by  striving  to  improve  every  hour 
possible  in  sight-seeing  and  traveling,  in  all  weathers  and  at  all 
seasons.  Many  portions  have  been  hastily  wiitten  after  fa- 
tiguing journeys,  days  spent  in  professional  toil,  or  during  hours 
stolen  from  needed  sleep. 

In  conclusion,  upon  the  subjects  discussed,  and  all  others,  the 
author  both  yields  and  claims  freedom  of  thought.  He  as- 
sumes no  infallibility,  nor  exemption  from  honorable  criticism  ; 
and  simply  desires,  in  return,  that  fairness  and  liberality  which, 
in  these  pages,  it  has  been  his  sincere  desire  to  cultivate. 

Brooklyn,  March,  1843. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Page 
Sea  Weariness — Last  Stoiin — Land,  bo  ! — Mouth  of  the  Seine — Remark- 
able Researches — Havre — Taking  Portraits 13 


CHAPTER  n. 
New    Quadruped — Normandy — Sudden    Elevation — Rouen — Helps    to 
Memory — Carnival      ..........     19 

CHAPTER  m. 
A  French  River — Things  Rural — Humanity  in  a   Blouse — Chateau  of 
Rosny — Railway — Paris — First  Impressions 23 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Easter  in  Notro  Dame — Robes — Church  of  the  Royal  Family — Funeral 
in  the  Madeleme— V/esleyan  Chapel— The  Oratoire  .         .         .         .27 

CHAPTER  V. 
F^te    du    Roi — Imagination — Place  de  la   Concorde — The  Tuileries — 
Cliamps  Elysces — Living  Statue — Arch  of  Triumph — Louis  Pliilippe 
— Fireworks — Pericles 33 

CHAPTER  VL 
Palaifl  Royal— Fbght  of  Fancy— Tlio  Louvre 39 


COxNTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Page 
Quartier  Latin — Escape — Orleans — Jeanne  d'Arc — Galvanizing  History 

— The  Loire — Tours — St.  Martin — Amboise 42 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Escape  from  a  Pastoral — Shepherdesses — Vineyards — Chateau  of  Che- 
nouceau — Blois — Salle  des  Etats-Genereaux — Fontainbleau — Return  .     49 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A   deep    Subject — The   Abattoirs — Hotel   des  Invalides — Chamber  of 
Deputies — M.  Lamartiue — Chamber  of  Peers — Pere-la-Chaise  .         .     56 

CHAPTER  X. 

Nan*ative  Style — Illustrative  Facts — Garden  of  Plants — Scientific  Insti- 
tutions— Life  in  a  Madhouse — Politics 63 

CHAPTER  XL 

Introduction — St.   Cloud — Sevres — Versailles — Journey  to  Boulogne — 
Foggy  Reception — London — Evangelical  Alliance       .         .         .         .71 

CHAPTER  XXL 
Trying  the  Nerves — Dover — Influence  of  the  Moon — Ostend — Ghent — 
Brussels — Bold  Design — Waterloo — Trip  to  the  Rhine — Cologne         .     77 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
St.  Ursula — Happy  Meeting — Cathedral — The  Rhine — Ehrenbreitstein 
—Legend  of  Lurlei — Home  Feelings — Fair  at  Frankfort     .         .         .83 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Speculation — Ariadne — Madame  Rothschild — The  Bergstrasse — Heidel- 
berg— Baden-Baden — "  Conversation  House  " — Strasbm-g — Basle       .     89 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Styles   of  Traveling — Innocent  Amusement — Basle   Campagne — Lake 
Sempach — Arnold    of  Winkelried — Lucerne — Singular    Tradition — 


CONTENTS. 


CHArTER  XVI. 

Page 
Lake  Lucerne — Tell's  Chapel — Night  Adventure — Tour  in  Oberland — 

The  Wengern  Alp 10-1 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

In terlachen— Knightly    Feat— A   Fair — Taking  an  Observation— Lake 
Than — Berne — A  VVaudering  Journeyman — Neuchatel       .         .         .  109 

CHAPTER  XVIIL 
Neuchatel  to  Geneva — Savoy — Chaniouny — Mer  de  Glace — A  Failure 
— Alpine  "  Curiosities  of  Literature  " — Mont  Blanc  from  the  Flegere 
— Chamois  Chase  with  a  Walking-Stick — The  Tete  Noire  .         .115 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Distant  Beauty — The  Vallais — St.  Bernard — Chillon — Lausanne — Lake 
Geneva — Revolution    .......         ...  123 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Lyons — Mistj'  Visions — Sad  Memorials — The  Rhone — Avignon — Ragged 
Escort — Palace  of  the  Popes — The  Inquisition    .         .         .         .         .130 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Exuberance — Vaucluse — Nismes — Roman  Antiquities — Pont  du  Gard — 
Marseilles — Marine  Discovery — Bay  of  Genoa 135 

CHAPTER  XXIL 
"  Fond  Anticipation  " — Genoa — Ancient  Costume — Shadowy  Reflections 
— Politics  and  Trade — Palaces — Chiesa  Annunciata    .         .         .         .141 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Sea  Retirement — Leghorn — Toleration — Civita  Vecchia — A  Dilemma — 
The  Campagna — Rome       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .140 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Roman    Impressions — Pantheon — Airy  Visions — Capitol — Dying   Glad- 
iator— The  Pope — "  Takmg  Pobscsj'ion." 150 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Page 
Romantic  Weather — Coliseum  by  Moonlight — Suspicious  Visitor — Tra- 
jan's Colunm — The  Forum — Arch  of  Titus — Santa  Scala     .         .         .156 


CHAPTER  XXVT. 

"  Caught  Napping  " — Subterranean  Celebration — St.  Peter's — Sistine 
Chapel — The  Vatican — Last  Judgment — Raphael's  Transfiguration — 
Baths  of  Dioclesian 162 


CHAPTER  XXVH. 

Adieu  to  a  Breakfast — Italian  Village — Papal  States — Monk  in  a  Mino- 
rity— Monte  Cassino — Capua — Vesuvius — Skirmish  with  Lazzaroni    .  168 


CHAPTER  XXVm. 
Bay  of  Naples — Street  Customs — Lazzaroni — "  Gallant  Fn'end  " — Vir- 
gil's Tomb — Grotto  of  Posilippo — Sibyl's  Cave — Elysium — Pompeii  .  174 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Neapolitan  Ethics — Swiss  Soldiers — Gastric  Insurrection — Pisa — Lean- 
ing Tower — Duomo — Campo  Santo — A  Recitation      ....  180 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Italian   Railroads — Vetturini — "  Effort  in   Public  " — Tuscan    People — 
Florence — Powers'  Greek  Slave — Episcopalian  Service       .         .         .187 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Attack  of  Enthusiasm — Paintings — Pitti  Palace — Memorials  of  Galileo 
— Adieu  to  Florence 192 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Crossing  the  Apennines — Sights  not  Seen — Bologna — San  Petronio — St. 
Dominic  —  Monuments  —  University  —  Lady  Professors  —  Leaning 
Towers 198 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Page 
Early  Rising — Moonlight — Lombardy — The  Po — Fen-ara — Italian  Poli- 
tics— Palazzo  J'Este — Tasso's  Px-ison  .         - 203 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Dull   Entertainment — Crossing  the  Po — Nervous   Affection — Rovigo — 
Padua — Perseverance — St.  Anthony — Classical  Discoveries        .         .  207 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Poetry  and  Steam — Bridging  the  Sea — Venice — Piazza  of  St.  Mark — 
Cathedral — Stealing  a  Patron — Doge's  Palace — Comicil  of  Ten — 
Bridge  of  Sighs 212 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Sentimental  Habits — Housetop  Reflections — A  Gondola — Grand  Canal — 
Bridge  of  the  Rialto — Trieste — Crossing  the  Julian  Alps — Camiola — 
Styria 217 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
A    Discovery — Locomotive     Memorial — Gratz — Country     Archduke^ 
Iron — Smoke — Vienna  by  Snow-storm — Suburb  City — Austrian  Man- 
ners     


ooo 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
Street  Lecture — "  Declaring  Intentions  " — Austrian  Government — Edu- 
cation— Policy — Italian   Question — Emperor   and  Empress — St.   Ste- 
phen's— Monument 228 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
Crossing  the  Danube — Olmutz — Lafiiyette's   Prison — Primitive   Bed — 
Prague — Ziska's  Camp — Memorials  of  Huss — Synagogue — Palace  of 
W^allenstein 234 

CHAPTER  XL. 
A  Sleigh-Ride — Culm  —  Saxony  —  Dresden — Gallery — Green  Vaults — 
King  and  Queen — Leipsic — Poniutowski'sTomb^Society  of  GustaNnia 
Adolphus— Lutzen 242 

A* 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

Page 
Affair  of  the  Heart — Hallo — Theological  Lecture — Magdeburg — Witten- 

burg — German    Manners — Luther's    Grave — His    furnished    Sitting- 
room  249 


CHAPTER  XLH. 
Berlin — Brandenburg  Thor — Unter  den  Linden — Chamber  of  Art — King 
— Government — Pnissian  System  of  Education — Army       .         .         .  256 

CHAPTER  XLHL 
Grateful  Wishes — Misty   Recollections — Mecklenburg — Konier — Ham- 


263 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 
Glimpses  of  London 267 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

A  Chapter  of  Fragments — Case  of  Rheumatism — British  Association^ 
Oxford — Yorkshire  Elections — Lake  Windermere — Coach-ride  .         .  279 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
Meeting  on  a  Bridge — Attx-active  Scenery — Edinburgh  ....  287 

CHAPTER  XLVn. 
Route  to  Glasgow — The  Clyde — Loch  Lomond — Rob    Roy's  Rock — 
Race  after  a  Pony — Loch  Katrine — Stirling  Castle — Bannockburn      .  291 

CHAPTER  XLVHI. 

Prison  at  Sea  —  Belfast  —  Politics  in  a  Coach  —  Drogheda  —  Dublin — 
Phoenix  Park— Trinity  College 297 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 
Wicklow    Scenery — Vale  of  Ovoca — Jaunting   Car — "  Meeting  of  the 
Watei's  " — The  Seven  Churches — King  O'Toole — Cmious  Legends — 
Return  to  Liveruool — Sabbath  at  Sea 300 


CONTENTS. 


APPENDIX. 

EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR. 

Lecture  I. — laslituf ions  for  Children. 

Page 
Creches   of   Paris  —  Foundling    Hospital  —  Chilclren-Preoers'-ation-Iusti- 

tutions  of  Germany — Swiss  Hospital  for  Young  Cretins — Beggars  at 
Rome — Industrial  Establishment  of  San  INIichele — Monte  Domini  at 
Florence — Labor  Schools  of  Aberdeen — Juvenile  Pauperism  in  Edin- 
burgh— Ragged  Schools  of  London — Letter  from  a  Pupil — Orphan 
House  at  Halle — Herman  Fraucke — Inferences — Robert  Snow — 
Claims  of  Children 309 


Lecture  II. — Adult  Institutions. 
Lazzaroni  at  Naples — Hotel  of  the  Poor — Roman  Dowiy  Societies — 
Company  of  Mercy  at  Florence — Voluntary  Workhouse  of  Vienna — 
Penny  Savings'  Bank  at  Berlin — German  Poor — Silk  Weavers  of 
Lyons — French  Poor-system  since  the  First  Revolution — Bureaux  de 
Bienfaisance — Canaille  of  Paris — Poor-Economy  of  Belgium — Pauper 
C(ilonies  of  Holland — History  of  the  English  Poor-laws — Pauperism 
in  Ireland — Famine — Soup  Kitchens — Glasgow  Night  Asylum — Volun- 
tary System  in  Scotland — Charitable  Pawning  Establishments  of 
France  and  Germany — Concluding  Remarks  —  Poor-Association — 
Parks — Hospital — Private  Charity — Plan  of  a  Benevolent  Pawning 
Institution 337 


LETTER  ON  FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF 
MEDICINE. 

Hospitals  of  Paris — General  Council — Bureau  Central — Intonies  and 
Extcnies — Sisters  of  Charity — Statistics — Hotel  Dieu — Rou.x — Baron 
Louis — La   Charite — Velpcau — Bonillaud — Ho.spital   of  St.   Loui»— 


CONTENTS. 


rage 
HOpital  des  Cliniques — La  Pitic — M.  Piony — Necker  Hospital — M. 

Trousseau — Civiale — Hopital  des  Enfans  Malades — M.  Gueriu — The 
School  of  Medicine  —  Faculty  —  Ecole  Practique  —  Clamart — Pri- 
vate Courses — General  Characteristics — Great  Hospital  at  Vienna — 
Rokitansky — Advantages  for  Studying  Pathology — Professor  Skoda — 
Theories  of  the  Sounds  of  the  Chest — Wards  for  Teaching  Auscul- 
tation and  Percussion — Rosas — Opthalmic  Department — School  of 
Berlin  Hospitals  —  Peculiarities  of  Practice  —  Schonlein  —  Baron 
DiefFenbach — Hospitals  of  London — Superiority  in  Surgeiy — English 
Practice — Edinburgh — Practical  Advantages  of  the  Dublin  School 
— Excellencies — Expenses  in  the  Different  Cities — Recapitulation — 
Comparative  Advantages — Conclusion 373 


LOITERINGS  II  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Bea  Weariness — Last  Storm — Land,  ho ! — Mouth  of  the  Seine — Remarkable 
Researches — Havre — Taking  Portraits. 

On  a  gloomy  winter's  morning  at  the  commencement  of 
*46  I  waked  on  board  the  New- York  packet-ship  St.  Nich- 
olas, more  than  two  thirds  of  the  way  across  the  Atlantic. 
Who  but  the  initiated  can  describe  the  sensation  of  intolerable 
weariness — that  second  sea-sickness  in  the  shape  of  a  sort  of 
subdued  salt-water  hydrophobia — that  is  felt  in  the  latter  half  of 
a  long  voyage  1  Every  source  of  amusement  seemed  exhausted. 
Some  of  us  had  practiced  the  wildest  and  the  tamest  ship  gym- 
nastics ;  others  had  desperately  turned  students,  and  perpe- 
trated barbarous  French  and  frightful  German,  or  perse veringly 
worried  the  poor  sailors  in  learning  their  alphabet;  and  several 
had  conspired  to  torment  an  inoffensive  piano  in  the  cabin,  by 
giving  nautical  conceits,  whose  vehemence  astonished  even  the 
performers. 

Some  allowance  must,  of  course,  be  made  for  havinff  one's 
imagination  stiired  by  a  boisterous  winter  passage  like  ours  ; 
but,  omitting  the  preparatory  deadly  loathings  of  sea-sickness — 
to  be  **  cabined  and  confuied"  fur  weeks  or  months — to  gaze 


14  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  I. 

day  after  day  on  the  same  cheerless  prospect  of  sky  and  water, 
varied  only  by  clouds  and  tempests,  till  the  chilly  expanse  seems 
fairly  increasing  in  blueness — to  sleep  in  fear  of  the  floor,  and 
to  eat  in  dread  of  the  affectionate  flight  of  roast  beef — seem 
almost  too  much  for  a  peaceable  endurance.  I  think  I  shall 
always,  after  this,  have  more  charity  for  crimes  and  misdemean- 
ors at  sea.  It  is  enough  to  make  people  desperate.  Instead  of 
retaining  all  my  school-boy  indignation  against  the  Spanish 
crew  of  Columbus,  it  now  seems  rather  wonderful  that  they  did 
not  carry  out  their  purpose  of  making  him  take  Jonah's  leap, 
and  try  protracted  sea-bathing  as  the  hydropathic  cure  for  am- 
bition, instead  of  discovering  our  beautiful  western  world. 

With  one  exception,  it  had  rained  or  snowed  every  day  of 
the  passage.  In  the  edge  of  the  evening  the  wind  increased, 
the  clouds  grew  blacker,  and  on  came  our  last  and  most  terrific 
storm.  I  had  often  read  of  such  things,  but  I  confess  the  reality 
far  surpassed  all  my  former  conceptions.  There  seemed  some- 
thing ominous  in  the  trumpet-voice  of  the  captain  giving  orders 
amid  the  din  of  the  tempest — the  seamen  hurrying  in  gangs 
about  the  decks,  hastily  furling  the  sails  and  dangling  wildly 
among  the  slippery  yards  and  rigging.  The  uproar  increased, 
and  as  you  timidly  staggered  toward  some  object  for  support, 
you  felt  the  ship  heaving,  rolling,  and  plunging  like  a  thing  of 
life,  contending  with  a  merciless  enemy  ;  and  suddenly,  with  a 
booming  crash,  a  sea  flooded  her  decks — ^you  looked  hastily 
around  to  see  if  any  were  swept  overboard,  and  you  felt  beneath 
your  feet  a  recoiling  tremor,  that  seemed  to  run  through  every 
panel  and  timber.  You  strove  to  look  abroad,  but  all  was  im- 
penetrable darkness,  relieved  only  by  fitful  flashes  of  Hghtning, 
and  the  foam  of  the  angry  waves ;  you  essayed  to  listen,  and  a 
continuous  stunning  roar,  as  of  a  hundred  cataracts,  added  fear- 
fully to  a  scene  that  was  enough  to  make  the  stoutest  hearts 
to  quail.  Below,  our  ladies  shrieked ;  the  most  boisterous 
became  thoughtful  and  sad;    and  faces  that  a  few  hours  be- 


Chap.  I.]  LOITERTNGS  IN  EUROrE.  15 

fore  were  wreathed  in  smiles,  grew  horror-stricken  and  pnJe. 
Death  is  terrible  enough  on  the  softest  couch,  and  soothed  by 
those  we  love ;  but  the  prospect  of  suddenly  sinking  far  from 
friends — of  gasping  and  buffeting  with  mountain  waves — of  hav- 
ing your  limbs  mangled  by  the  shark,  or  your  requiem  sung  by 
howling  winds,  and  the  sea-weed  for  a  winding-sheet,  has  in  it 
something  peculiarly  appalling.  While  the  storm  still  raged,  a 
little  group  might  be  seen  in  one  part  of  the  cabin,  drinking  in, 
with  strange  earnestness,  the  beautiful  and  consohng  passages 
which,  in  a  voice  faltering  with  emotion,  one  of  their  number 
read  from  the  ninety-first  Psalm. 

Next  day,  toward  evening,  the  wind  abated,  and  the  moraing 
succeeding  we  were  saluted  with  the  welcome  shout  of  "  Land, 
ho!"  We  all  rushed  on  deck  in  a  tumult  of  joy.  It  was  the 
dimly-seen  headland  on  the  English  shore,  termed  the  Start. 
As  we  glided  along  before  a  light  breeze,  the  Channel  became 
more  thickly  studded  with  sails.  For  the  first  time  in  our  lives 
some  of  us  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  land  of  our  forefathers. 
Strange  emotions  were  excited.  It  was  the  scene  of  a  thousand 
incidents  embalmed  in  story  and  in  song.  The  very  waters  over 
which  we  were  then  being  wafted  seemed  every  where  to  call 
up  interesting  historical  reminiscences.  Across  our  path  had 
once  floated  the  Spanish  armada,  with  its  mighty  arms  extend- 
ed for  miles,  as  if  to  grasp  the  shore  ;  and  just  to  the  northward 
it  had  first  encountered  its  intrepid  enemy.  A  little  farther 
west,  two  centuries  previous,  Blake  and  Tromp  had,  for  three 
successive  days,  fought  for  the  empire  of  the  seas  ;  and  away  to 
the  south,  the  sea,  then  so  tranquil,  had  been  dyed  with  the 
blood  of  the  French  and  English.  At  length,  we  saw  the  blue 
outline  of  Cape  La  Heve  and  the  sunny  hills  of  Normandy. 
Every  one  seemed  to  have  his  special  reason  for  being  delight- 
ed. Our  excellent  Captain  IL  was  about  to  complete  his  first 
voyage  in  our  superb  ship  in  only  eighteen  days ;  the  Banjn  D. 
and  the  rest  of  the  French  passengers,  after  an  exile  of  years, 


1C^  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  I. 


Stood  rapturously  gazing  on  their  own  La  hdle  France;  lean- 
ing with  enthusiasm  over  the  bulwarks  was  the  tall,  slender 
form  of  an  only  son,  traveling  for  health,  and  about  to  leave 
with  a  fresher  cheek;  beside  him,  with  a  gladdened  visage, 
rested  one  who  sought,  by  change  of  scene,  to  soothe  a  heait 
almost  broken  by  bereavement ;  and  close  at  hand  was  a  young 
adventurer,  about  to  realize  advantages  in  study  and  travel,  for 
which  he  had  despairingly  toiled  for  years.  The  gently  swell- 
ing sails,  the  bright  waters,  and  all  the  splendid  panorama  be- 
fore us,  were  illumined,  too,  by  one  of  the  most  glonous  of 
earthly  visions — a  sunset  at  sea.  As  we  looked  eastward,  the 
rich  effulgence  appeared  resting  as  upon  a  mirror  on  the  mouth 
of  the  silvery  Seine,  glistening  from  the  chalky  cliffs,  and  bathing 
in  gold  the  winding  shore  ;  and  as  we  turned  westward,  the 
great  centre  of  attraction  seemed  softening  his  rays  with  a  ruby 
tint,  and  expanding  his  disc,  as  if  to  court  a  more  intense  gaze, 
and  then  tranquilly  to  melt  away  into  the  ocean ;  and  the  gor- 
geous assemblage  of  clouds,  steeped  in  violet,  gold,  and  sun- 
beam, that  gathered  around,  as  if  to  do  homage  at  his  departure, 
appeared  like  the  drapery  of  a  brighter  land  than  earth. 

The  sea  was  thickly  dotted  with  fishing-boats,  and  at  length 
a  clumsy  craft,  more  respectable  than  the  rest,  hoisted  the  tri- 
colored  flag,  floated  under  our  lee,  and  directly  there  clamber- 
ed up  the  side  an  aquatic  curiosity,  said  to  be  a  French  pilot. 
He  wore  a  peaked,  glazed  hat,  and  a  short  jacket,  expanding 
downward  like  a  diving-bell,  covering  the  apex  of  a  body  re- 
sembling the  little  jolly-looking  picture  of  St.  Nicholas  on  our 
stained  cabin  windows,  or,  in  sea  phraseology,  his  latitude 
nearly  equaled  his  longitude. 

The  port  of  Havre  can  only  be  entered  by  ships  during  four 
hours  of  each  tide,  and  we  were  forced  to  wait  till  morning, 
when  we  were  towed  in  by  a  steamer.  The  entrance  of  the 
Seine  is  somewhat  difficult,  on  account  of  the  shifting-sands, 
and  it  was  here  that  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  in  attempting  to  cut  out 


Chap.  I.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  17 

a  French  man-of-war,  got  entangled  and  left  by  the  tide,  and 
his  ship,  like  a  huge  monster,  stranding,  was  forced  to  yield  to 
a  few  Lilliputian  gun-boats. 

As  we  came  alongside  of  the  dock,  there  was  a  rush  of  por- 
ters vociferating  the  names  of  the  hotels,  and  a  scramble  for 
our  baggage  that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  Roman  impe- 
rial amusement  of  throwing  silver  among  a  crowd,  or  the  inva- 
sion of  a  North  River  steamboat.  Directly,  a  tall  gendarme,  in 
a  blue  uniform,  with  a  sword  and  mustache,  touched  his  formi- 
dable militaiy  hat,  j^i'onounced  the  significant  words,  *'  Pass- 
ports, messieurs  !"  and  walked  off  with  our  papers.  When  we 
went  on  shore,  another  important  personage,  who  might  have 
been  mistaken  for  one  of  the  light-fingered  gentry,  but  for  the 
circumstances,  with  that  inimitable  politeness  peculiar  to  a  well- 
bred  Frenchman,  went  through  the  delicate  operation  of  search- 
ing our  pockets.  There  were  also  cool  philosophical  investiga- 
tions as  to  the  quality  of  our  linen,  and  the  state  of  domestic 
aifairs  in  our  trunks  generally,  at  the  custom-house. 

There  is  naturally  a  strange  sensation  in  passing  suddenly 
into  a  country  differing  entirely  from  your  own  in  language, 
customs,  religion,  government,  or  domestic  habits ;  and  it  is  not 
to  be  ivondered  at  that  both  European  and  American  travelers 
should  mutually  have  their  prejudices  shocked,  and  too  readily 
foiTH  unfavorable  conclusions  respecting  a  people  about  whom 
the  hasty  tourist  can  know  too  little  to  sit  as  a  rigorous  judge. 
I  happen  to  be  a  great  admirer  of  the  happy,  well-meaning 
race  of  people  known  as  the  good-natured,  and  in  my  future 
peregi'inations  I  have  resolved,  when  allowable,  always  to  pre- 
fer the  sunny  side  of  the  picture.  In  conformity  with  these 
peaceable  intentions,  I  was  not  disposed  to  abuse  the  good  citi- 
zens for  the  faults  of  their  ancestors,  as  I  edged  my  way  through 
streets  a  dozen  or  more  feet  wide,  without  the  modern  innova- 
tion of  sidewalks.  They  were  drained  by  a  ditch  in  the  mid- 
dle, lighted  above  by  lamps  suspended   in   the  same  central 


18  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  I. 

position  by  chains  from  the  opposite  six  or  eight-story  houses, 
and  paved  with  stones  that  might  pass  for  Norman  antiquities. 

Havre  is,  on  the  whole,  an  unprepossessing  town  to  a  stran- 
ger, belonging  rather  to  the  useful  than  the  ornamental  class.  It 
contains,  as  most  are  probably  aware,  some  thirty  thousand  in- 
habitants, and,  from  its  American  and  cotton  trade,  its  extensive 
excavated  docks,  and  from  its  being  the  port  for  the  principal 
manufactuiing  towns,  it  has  been  sometimes  termed  the  Liver- 
pool of  France. 

Toward  evening  we  applied,  according  to  custom,  at  the  po- 
lice-office for  provisional  passports,  till  those  we  had  presented 
should  be  returned  to  us  in  Paris.  One  feels  rather  queer  in  be- 
ing stared  out  of  countenance  while  having  his  likeness  taken  by 
artists  who  (not  being  well  paid  for  it)  flatter  so  little.  I  feared 
that  mine  was  alarmingly  faithful,  and  so,  without  scanning  it, 
hastily  put  it  safely  into  my  pocket.  A  youthful  fellow-passen- 
ger, however,  afterwards  kindly  obliged  me  with  a  glance  at  his, 
and  I  found  that  they  had  taken  an  exact  inventory  of  his  flow- 
ing locks,  forehead,  eyes,  nose,  mouth,  and  features  generally. 
As  illustrating  their  singular  minuteness,  I  may  mention  that, 
for  want  of  other  amusement  on  ship,  and  perhaps  to  prepare 
for  the  continent,  he  had  been  cultivating  the  downy  symptoms 
of  a  mustache  ;  and  the  passport  described  his  beard  by  the  use 
of  a  glowing  French  term  usually  applied  to  the  birth  of  flow- 
ers. Shortly  after  we  took  the  diligence,  by  the  north  bank  of 
the  Seine,  for  Rouen, 


Chap.  II.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  19 


CHAPTER  11. 

New  Quadnaped — Nonnaudy — Sudden  Elevation — Rouen — Helps  to  ^lem- 
ory — Carnival. 

A  DILIGENCE  is  a  remarkable  species  of  the  genus  vehicle. 
You  may  comprehend  from  books  something  of  an  Irish  jaunt- 
ing-car, a  Turkish  araba,  or  a  Hindoo  palanquin;  but  through 
Buch  an  imperfect  medium,  to  get  a  clear  idea  of  what  the  nat- 
uralist would  term  the  more  complicated  physical  structure,  the 
caxities,  bones,  muscles,  and  locomotive  organs  of  a  French  dil- 
igence, is  not  quite  so  easy.  Somewhere  in  the  romantic  re- 
gion of  toy-books,  you  may  possibly  have  faint  childish  recollec- 
tions of  the  picture  of  the  traveling  house  of  a  great  man  set 
upon  wheels.  The  French,  in  their  refinement,  have  improved 
upon  the  idea,  and  divided  the  said  building  into  apartments. 
It  does  not  admit  of  seditious  assemblages;  and,  while  it  leaves 
you  to  choose  your  rank,  it  goes  upon  the  aristocratic  and  po- 
etic principle,  that 

"  Some  are  and  must  be  gi-eater  than  the  rest." 

An  intelligent  American  Indian,  who  lately  visited  Paris,  in  de- 
scribing a  diligence  to  a  friend  in  England,  stated  that  it  was  a 
great  animal  that  carried  sixteen  persons :  three  in  the  head, 
three  in  the  breast,  six  in  the  body,  and  four  in  the  tail,  refer- 
ring, in  order,  to  the  banquette,  coupe,  interior,  and  rotonde. 
The  four  wheels  answeiing  to  feet,  it  should,  of  course,  be  class- 
ed among  the  quadrupeds.  Just  imagine  an  ordinary  Broad- 
way omnibus,  somewhat  lengthened,  with  the  leather  top  and 
seat  of  a  huge  gig  extending  transversely  across  tlio  roof,  in 
front,  for  the  banquette,  and  unequally  divided  below  into  iliree 
separate  compartments,  and  you  have  the  tamer  representation 


20  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  II. 

of  a  deteriorated  civilized  citizen.  Of  the  places  above  men- 
tioned, the  coupe,  or  lower  front,  is  the  dearest,  and  the  ro- 
tonde,  or  rear,  the  cheajDCst.  This  apparently  unwieldy  affair 
is  usually  drawn  by  five  or  six  horses,  with  three  abreast  in  front, 
at  the  rate  of  from  seven  to  nine  miles  an  hour.  The  horses 
are  changed  about  once  an  hour  in  the  short  space  of  three  or 
four  minutes,  and  away  you  rattle  over  hill  and  dale  to  the  con- 
stant crack  of  the  w^hip. 

We  passed  through  a  gently  undulating  country,  a  little  back 
from  the  river,  thickly  studded  with  villages  and  small  towns. 
Many  of  the  country  seats  were  approached  by  avenues  of  close- 
ly-trimmed, military-looking  trees.  This  portion  of  the  country 
is  particularly  interesting  to  Englishmen  and  their  descendants. 
Their  language,  institutions,  and  early  history  remind  them  of 
the  Norman  Conquest :  here  are  still  places  bearing  the  names 
of  leading  families  in  England  :  here,  too,  are  Falaise,  the  birth- 
place of  William  the  Conqueror;  the  abbey  at  Caen,  founded 
by  Mathilda,  his  queen;  the  celebrated  "Saucy  Castle,"  of 
Chateau  Galliard,  built  by  Richard  to  annoy  his  rival,  Philip 
Augustus  ;  the  stone  step  of  the  church  at  Avranches,  where 
Henry  II.  kneeled  before  the  pope's  legates  to  do  penance  for 
the  murder  of  Becket;  and  many  memoiials  of  later  events. 
But  the  modern  spirit  of  invention,  the  genius  of  utter  utility,  is 
at  work  even  here.  The  age  of  chivalry  is  past.  Springing 
up  amid  the  very  Gothic  ruins — the  strong-holds  of  the  chiefs 
of  ancient  renown,  the  places  of  battles  and  sieges — are  cotton 
factories !  Apart  from  its  historical  associations,  the  traveler 
feels  little  disposed  to  doubt  in  advance  the  general  assertion, 
that  this  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  beautiful  provinces  of 
the  kingdom.  I  happened  to  sit  next  to  an  intelHgent  passenger 
belonging  to  one  of  the  villages,  who  kindly  pointed  out  many 
3"emarkable  objects,  and  afforded  much  useful  information  till 
twilight  shrouded  the  view,  when  he  mused  a  few  moments  j 
then,  as  if  unable  to  restiain  the  natural  enthusiasm  of  a  French- 


Chap.  IL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  21 

man,  he  suddenly  volunteered,  in  a  low,  sweet  tone,  two  or 
three  stanzas  of  Ma  Normandie. 

It  was  7iis  way  of  manifesting  that  love  of  countiy  so  merci- 
fully implanted  by  Providence  every  where  in  the  human  breast. 
Surely  if  the  peasant  of  the  bleak  mountains  of  Switzerland,  or 
the  barren  heaths  of  Scotland,  can  sing  of  his  home,  he  of  the 
sunny  slopes,  winding  streams,  and  gi'een  meadows  of  Nor- 
mandy has  reason  to  be  contented  and  happy. 

Near  midnight  we  were  suddenly  set  down  in  Rouen,  amid 
a  salute  of  emphatic  invitations  ;  and  by  the  time  we  came  fairly 
to  our  senses,  we  found  ourselves,  with  meek  resignation,  follow- 
ing the  least  suspicious-looking  of  the  group  through  the  wide 
gate-like  entrance,  and  up  what  seemed  the  eight  or  tenth  fliglit 
of  a  French  hotel.  The  ascent,  like  all  great  undertakings,  had 
its  object  and  reward.  We  were  permitted  to  view  and  enjoy 
the  floor  of  little  six-sided  red  tiles,  the  comfortable,  flashy-cur- 
tained bed,  folding- windows,  the  gilt  ornaments,  flowers,  ex- 
panded miiTors,  and  other  peculiar  wonders  of  our  French  bed- 
rooms. 

Living  at  what  is  termed  a  table  d'Jwte,  as  is  customary  in 
France  generally,  and  paying  only  for  the  articles  for  which  we 
called,  we  went  upon  the  natural  system  of  regulating  our  din- 
ner by  the  appetite  and  purse.  The  charges,  on  the  whole, 
somewhat  exceed  those  in  our  Atlantic  cities. 

A  party  of  four  of  us  concluded  to  remain  and  examine  the 
curiosities  of  this  ancient  capital  of  Normandy,  and  among  others 
the  far-famed  cathedral.  I  confess  that  my  first  impression  of 
this  immense  Gothic  pile  was  not  such  as  I  had  anticipated. 
Either  the  proximity  of  surrounding  high  dwelHng-houses,  or  the 
lofty  iron  steeple,  towering  aloft  from  the  rear  more  than  four 
hundred  feet,  gave  the  front  a  comparatively  lowly,  unimposing 
appearance.  Part  of  it  having  existed  since  the  third  century, 
time  has  imparted  to  the  surface  of  the  elaborately-carved  stone 
a  worm-eaten,  sombre  appearance.     But,  hke  the  Falls  of  Niag- 


22  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IL 

ara,  it  seems  to  grow  upon  you.  As  you  enter  the  door,  and 
the  eye  stretches  across  the  space  of  four  hundred  feet  to  the 
richly-decorated  altar  of  the  Virgin,  it  is  bewildered  with  the 
ranges  of  tall  columns,  the  lofty  pointed  arches,  and  the  paint- 
ings, the  ornamented  side  chapels,  the  choir,  and  immense  aisles, 
dimly  lighted  by  the  rainbow  hues  of  its  hundred  stained  win- 
dows. You  slowly  advance,  and  muse  thoughtfully  on  the 
memorials  of  all  that  is  left  of  the  mighty  dead.  The  earliest 
annals  of  your  own  country  are  so  recent  as  to  require  little  ef- 
fort for  your  belief;  but  here  as  you  gaze  on  statues,  arrayed  in 
the  rude  drapery  of  olden  time,  and  touch  with  your  hand  the  cold 
marble,  your  faith  seems  more  confirmed  in  the  dreamy  legends 
of  the  elder  world.  There,  with  his  son,  lies  Rollo,  the  convert- 
ed chief  of  the  ravaging  Northmen,  and  first  duke  of  Norman- 
dy ;  farther  on  are  the  remains  of  several  English  and  Norman 
princes,  and  the  "  Lion  Heart"  of  Richard.  For  a  moment  you 
seem  to  live  with  the  past.  You  think  of  Palestine — of  Saladin, 
and  the  Saracens  ;  you  conjure  before  you  the  opposing  banners 
of  the  crescent  and  the  cross ;  you  see  the  prancing  steeds  and 
nodding  helmets  of  the  steel-clad  Christian  waiTiors,  and  fore- 
most of  all  their  dauntless  chief.  Can  it  be  that  the  heart,  in- 
closed beneath  the  little  marble  tablet  there,  once  beat  high  be- 
fore the  walls  of  Acre  ? 

One  of  the  days  we  remained  at  Rouen  happened  to  be  the 
sabbath.  We  attended  high  mass  at  the  cathedral  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  Protestant  service  in  the  evening.  As  we  returned 
from  the  latter,  we  were  rather  startled  at  meeting,  on  a  sabbath 
evening,  a  great  many  persons  fantastically  disguised  in  Turkish, 
Spanish,  and  other  costumes,  females  in  male  apparel,  all  bend- 
ing their  way  to  a  grand  masked  ball.  It  was  the  festival  cor- 
responding to  the  Carnival  at  Rome. 

Before  we  left,  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  statue  of  Joan  of  Arc, 
in  the  spot  where  she  was  so  cruelly  bunied. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  beautiful  bright  morning,  I  was  also 


Chap.  III.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  23 

enabled  to  greet  the  rising  sun  on  the  top  of  the  overhanging 
hill,  Mont  St.  Catherine.  Here  were  the  remains  of  old  ditches 
and  fortifications,  the  scene  of  many  a  deadly  struggle  when  be- 
sieged by  Henry  IV.  The  good  king,  after  the  siege,  kindly 
demolished  them,  at  the  request  of  the  citizens,  with  the  memo- 
rable words,  "  that  he  desired  no  fortress  but  the  hearts  of  his 
subjects." 

At  length  we  started  in  the  railway  train  for  Paris. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

A  French  River — Things  Rural — Humanity  in  a  Blouse — Chateau  of  Rosny— 
Railway — Paris — First  Impressions. 

The  Seine  is  a  thoroughly  French  river,  full  of  beauties  and 
full  of  capricious  changes.  Sometimes  it  flows  as  gently  as  the 
stream  of  a  terrestrial  paradise,  restrained  by  the  conservative 
banks  into  quite  peaceable  limits ;  and  then,  as  below  Quille- 
boeuf,  with  an  aqueous  outbreak,  it  suddenly  expands  to  four  or 
five  times  its  fomier  width.  Occasionally  it  glides  in  a  straight 
direction,  as  if,  like  a  perspicuous  speaker,  it  were  coming  to  a 
point,  and  then  with  a  circuit  of  miles,  it  returns  to  near  the 
same  s2)ot,  as  though  with  national  fondness  it  was  deteiTnined 
on  going  back  to  Paris.  Now  it  modestly  courses  along  in  a 
single  channel,  and  anon,  in  showy  Parisian  taste,  it  takes  a 
fancy  to  decorate  itself  with  a  range  of  little  fairy  islands.  And 
then,  to  carry  out  the  figure,  even  its  tiny  steamers  seem  to 
bow  their  pipes  at  the  biidges  with  true  French  politeness. 

It  is  navigable  to  Rouen  for  vessels  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
tuns. 

The  extensive  cotton  and  woolen  manufactories  of  Rouen 
and  Elbceuf,  respectively  the  Manchester  and  Leeds  of  France, 


24  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  III. 

give  a  considerable  impulse  to  its  trade.  The  valley  of  the 
Seine  is  perhaps  on  the  average  about  a  mile  in  w^idth,  bound- 
ed by  well-cultivated  slopes  occasionally  rising  to  higher  emi- 
nences, which  give  indications  of  a  chalk  formation.  Above 
Rouen,  the  level  space  on  each  side  terminated  by  these  parallel 
wavy  acclivities  reminded  me  of  places  and  views  in  the  valley 
of  the  Mohawk  above  Schenectady.  The  former  is,  perhaps,  a 
little  the  wider  stream;  but  just  imagine  the  huge  barns  and 
comfortable  farmhouses  on  the  banks  of  the  latter  removed; 
level  the  fences,  cut  up  the  extensive  coni-fields  into  little  oblong 
squares  of  varied  herbage,  like  the  beds  of  a  garden  several 
times  magnified,  and  over  the  whole  scatter  here  and  there 
clusters  of  little  low-roofed  stone  cottages,  and  you  have  a  fair 
representation  of  the  scene  described.  Occasionally  the  group 
increases  in  size  and  respectability.  Symptoms  of  gardens,  or- 
namental trees,  and  a  church  appear,  and  it  is  pointed  out  as  a 
village.  To  make  the  picture  complete,  however,  you  would 
be  obliged  to  transform  the  sturdy  Dutchmen  of  the  Mohawk 
into  a  more  slightly-made  race  of  peasantry,  and  clothe  them  in 
a  different  costume.  Judging  from  those  I  saw  in  Havre  and 
Rouen,  and  the  laborers  in  the  fields  along  the  route,  I  should 
think  them  to  be  below  the  average  height  of  our  rural  popula- 
tion ;  but  then  you  scarcely  see  a  naiTow  chest  or  a  pale  face 
among  them  ;  and  they  seem  to  excel  in  cheerfulness,  and  to  be, 
in  fact,  very  lively  specimens  of  humanity.  Very  generally  they 
wear  a  light,  cheap  outside  dress,  made  of  blue  cotton,  in  the 
form  of  a  shirt,  termed  the  Mouse.  Frequently,  too,  you  are  in- 
troduced to  veritable  wooden  shoes. 

The  track  of  the  railway  from  Rouen  to  Paris,  accompanied 
by  the  wires  of  a  magnetic  telegraph,  generally  runs  close  to 
the  river,  crosses  it  on  bridges  three  times,  and  passes  through 
two  tunnels.  This  admirably-conducted  line  will  soon  be  fin- 
ished to  Havre.  We  went  along  quite  leisurely  for  railway 
speed,  making  some  twenty  stoppages  at  the  towns  and  villages. 


Chap.  III.]  L0ITERING8  IN  EUROPE.  25 

The  place  that  interested  me  most  along  the  route  was  Rosny, 
the  late  residence  of  the  Duchess  de  Berri,  and  distinguished 
as  the  birthplace  and  retreat  of  Sully,  the  celebrated  minister  and 
friend  of  Henry  IV.  The  king,  having  overtaken  this  faithful 
servant  on  the  road,  after  the  victory  of  Ivry,  desperately 
wounded,  and  borne  on  a  litter,  fell  on  his  neck  and  embraced 
him,  and  passed  the  night  at  the  chateau.  Hard  by  is  the  forest 
where  Sully  generously  sacrificed  at  one  time  timber  to  a  large 
amount  to  pay  his  master's  debts.  The  gi'ounds  and  chateau 
still  seem  to  retain  something  of  the  unostentatious  simplicity 
that  characterized  the  illustrious  statesman. 

At  length  we  passed  a  line  of  fortifications  ;  the  houses  began 
to  thicken,  and  we  were  suddenly  released,  amid  a  multitude 
of  strange  sights  and  sounds,  in  the  busy  capital.  There  were 
carriages,  with  servants  in  splendid  liveries ;  easy-swinging 
hacks,  like  a  large,  old-fashioned  physician's  gig ;  and  carts, 
with  immense  wheels,  drawn  by  two  or  three  horses  in  single 
file,  whose  large,  shaggy  collars,  and  low  heads,  gave  them,  at 
a  distance,  the  appearance  of  a  cross  o{  the  bison  ;  files  of  sol- 
diers marching  to  the  monotonous  music  of  a  drum;  tidily- 
dressed  females,  in  ordinary  life,  swarming  the  streets,  without 
hats  ;  itinerant  musicians,  giving  cheap  conceits  by  machinery ; 
venders  of  little  fancy  wares,  and  rosy-cheeked  flower  girls ; 
worn-out  veterans,  hobbling  along  in  the  fierce-looking  militaiy 
chapeau,  with  the  red  ribbon  of  the  legion  of  honor  on  the 
breast  of  the  comfortable  blue  coat ;  excjuisites  promenading 
the  fashionable  streets — all  in  a  style  peculiar  to  this  city  of 
cities. 

The  first  impressions  of  a  stranger  can  scarcely  be  but  favora- 
ble. Almost  every  object  wears  a  lively  charm.  The  streets  are, 
indeed,  with  few  exceptions,  badly  paved  and  drained,  and  so 
iiaiTow  that  you  are  compelled  to  seek  apartments  as  near  the 
clouds  as  possible,  to  get  the  fresh  air ;  and  the  irregularly  high 
houses  ai-e  nearly  all  of  a  smoky,  tawny  hue  outride  ;  but  there 

B 


26  LOITE RINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  III. 

is  so  much  of  refined  elegance  in  the  architectural  decorations,  so 
much  that  you  meet  to  admire  in  every  walk,  that  you  forget 
any  faults  in  the  picture.  We  are  apt  to  receive  exaggerated 
impressions  of  the  peculiarities  of  every  people  at  a  distance. 
There  was  much  less  of  gaudiness,  and  far  more  of  richness 
and  neatness  in  the  external  aspect  of  things  than  I  had  antici- 
pated. A  French  lustre  is,  indeed,  visible  every  where,  but  it 
is  a  brilliancy  developed  by  the  most  exquisite  taste.  One  might 
almost  write  a  dissertation  on  the  attractions  of  a  Parisian  shop- 
window.  The  artistic  talent  that,  with  such  nice  attention  to 
perspective,  arranges  the  mirrors  and  gilding,  so  elegantly  folds 
the  drapery,  and  so  skillfully  brings  into  play  innumerable  other 
devices,  is,  indeed,  truly  wonderful.  This  delicate  sense  of  the 
beautiful  seems  to  pervade  the  whole  population.  It  is  visible 
in  their  tastefully-adjusted  dress,  their  easy,  graceful  carriage, 
and  fascinating  manners.  With  much  justice,  perhaps,  it  has 
been  attributed  to  the  effect  produced  by  their  constantly  fre- 
quenting the  public  gardens,  museums,  and  palaces — their  fa- 
miliarity with  the  perfect  forms  embodied  in  painting  and  statu- 
ary, and  the  combined  charms  of  nature  and  art,  that  in  so  en- 
lightened a  spirit  are  here  made  freely  accessible  for  the  grati- 
fication and  improvement  of  all  ranks,  from  the  peasant  to  the 
prince. 

Another  feature  that  strikes  you  in  your  first  walk  is  the  easy 
cheerfulness  depicted  in  every  face  you  meet.  There  is  more 
of  philosophy  in  this  than  we  dream.  He  who  has  taught  the 
sun  to  shine,  the  flowers  to  bloom,  and  the  birds  to  sing,  doubt- 
less never  intended  that  his  creatures  should  be  always  sad. 
There  is  none  of  the  "  pride  in  the  port,  defiance  in  the  eye,"  or 
melancholy  of  some  of  his  Anglican  neighbors  about  the  true 
Parisian ;  and  nothing  of  the  sharpened,  anxious  expression  of 
our  American  victims  of  the  money-fever  you  meet  emerging 
fi-om  a  ten  minutes'  lunch  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wall-street. 
He  seems  every  where  leisurely  enjoying  himself. 


Chap.  IV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  27 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Easter  in  Notre  Dame — Relics — Church  of  the  Royal  Family — Funeral  in 
the  Madeleine — Wesleyan   Chapel — The  Oratoii-e. 

My  first  visits  to  a  few  of  the  principal  churchdp  of  Paris  hap- 
pened to  be  on  the  occasion  of  important  festivals,  and  as  af- 
fording, in  connection,  an  imperfect  glance  at  some  of  the 
predominating  religious  peculiarities  of  the  people,  the  notes 
of  some  of  them  are  given  together.  It  is  perhaps  scarcely- 
necessary  for  the  vi^riter  in  advance  to  say,  in  courtesy  and 
honest  frankness,  that  they  are  the  impressions  of  a  decided 
Protestant. 

Very  early  on  Easter  morning,  in  company  with  an  immense 
crowd,  I  edged  my  way  into  the  venerable  Cathedral  of  Notre 
Dame.  Near  the  door  was  a  marble  basin,  containing  holy 
water,  and  a  person  standing  near  it  with  a  brush  to  sprinkle 
those  who  passed.  The  galleries,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
immense  edifice,  were  nearly  filled  with  a  variously  occupied 
throng.  The  more  devout,  on  arriving,  kneeled,  crossed  them- 
selves, and,  with  upturned  eyes,  seemed  reverently  to  whisper 
a  first  prayer.  Others,  having  apparently  finished  their  course 
of  devotion,  were  constantly  retiring.  Spectators  were  bend- 
ing eagerly  over  the  railing,  as  at  some  curious  show,  and 
priests  in  their  vestments,  and  little  boys  in  white,  were  solemnly 
moving  here  and  there.  As  in  all  the  French  Catholic  church- 
es, even  the  most  magnificent  I  have  yet  seen,  the  whole  au- 
dience were  seated  upon  iniiumorablo  rustic,  split-bottomed 
chairs,  most  thickly  clustered  near  the  centre,  for  the  use  of 
which  the  occupants  paid  two  or  three  sous  each  time.      With 


2»  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IV. 

little  or  no  distinction,  all  classes  seem  promiscuously  mingled. 
By  the  side  of  the  palsied  matron,  bowed  a  gentle  girl ;  farther 
on,  in  her  clean  white  apron  and  hood  was  a  sister  of  charity, 
and  close  to  the  fine  lady  and  gentleman  worshiped,  in  more 
homely  attire,  the  plain  artisan.  A  large  company  of  priests 
appeared  to  take  the  lead  in  chanting  the  forms  of  the  mass, 
and  the  confused  sound  of  hundreds  of  untrained  voices  from 
the  assembly,  who  joined  them  in  a  kind  of  half-singing,  affected 
tone,  seemed  somewhat  harsh  and  monotonous  to  the  unaccus- 
tomed. But  tiiis  was  sometimes  relieved  by  a  very  sweet  strain 
from  some  choice  youthful  performers,  and  the  notes  of  a  pow- 
erful organ.  Then  came  the  tinkling  of  the  little  bell,  and  the 
swinging  of  the  silver  censer.  As  the  Host  was  elevated,  every 
head  was  lowly  bowed.  But  the  most  imposing  part  of  the 
ceremony  immediately  followed.  AiTayed  in  robes  covered 
with  gold  embroidery,  appeared  a  long  train  of  priests  and  at- 
tendants, bearing  aloft  the  sacred  emblems,  slowly  and  solemnly 
moving  down  the  passage  opened  in  the  centre,  and  making  an 
extensive  circuit  round  the  sides  of  the  church.  Near  the  close 
of  the  procession  walked  the  venerable  Archbishop  of  Paris, 
clad  in  still  more  gorgeous  vestments,  and  wearing  a  very  lofty 
cap — such  as  we  sometimes  see  in  the  pictures  of  Catholic 
saints.  Near  the  door,  I  noticed,  posted  up,  what  seemed  to  be 
a  kind  of  annual  charge  or  announcement  of  the  archbishop, 
in  French,  from  which  I  was  subsequently  enabled  to  make  the 
following  extract : — 

"  Sunday  the  5th  of  April,  at  the  termination  of  the  grand 
mass,  which  commences  at  nine  o'clock,  the  archbishop  will 
transfer,  solemnly,  from  the  sacristy  of  the  altar  destined  to  re- 
ceive them,  the  relics  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
namely,  a  piece  of  the  true  cross,  the  holy  crown  of  thorns,  and 
the  holy  nail.  The  archbishop  will  accord  to  the  faithful  who 
assist  at  the  procession,  and  to  those  who,  during  the  holy  week, 
come  to  venerate  these  relics,  and  recite  five  times  pater  and 


Chap.  IV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  29 

iive  times  ave,  with  act  of  contrition,  forty  days  of  indulgence 
each  time." 

I  had  witnessed  the  ceremony  of  kissing  the  wood  of  the  true 
cross  a  few  days  before,  at  the  anniversary  of  a  CathoHc  benev- 
olent society,  at  which  the  receptacles  for  the  contributions  were 
held  by  several  ladies  of  rank  and  a  Polish  princess.  Yet  the 
French  are  far  from  uniform  in  their  belief  of  these  things. 

I  did  not  stay  to  hear  the  sermon  at  Notre  Dame,  having 
listened  to  discourses  of  the  kind  before.  They  are  delivered 
extempore  from  a  little  plain  pulpit  in  the  centre,  usually  in  the 
style  of  somewhat  earnest  moral  lectures,  without  much  decla- 
mation or  violent  gesture.  The  preacher  fiequently  changes 
his  position — standing,  sitting,  or  leaning  familiarly  over  the 
desk,  as  suits  his  convenience  or  inclination. 

This  veiy  ancient  pile  is  situated  on  the  south  edge  of  an 
island  in  the  Seine,  which  formerly  contained  the  whole  city. 
It  is  in  the  severe  Gothic  style,  with  two  huge  square  towers 
in  front,  and  can  not  compare  in  architectural  beauty  with  that 
of  Rouen.  Yet  some  of  the  antique  bas-reliefs  within  are  quite 
interesting,  and  the  two  circular  stained  windows  of  some  thirty 
feet  in  diameter  in  the  transepts  are  very  fine. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  Notre  Dame,  during  the 
fi-enzy  of  the  Revolution,  took  place  the  impious  and  obscene 
ceremony  of  the  installation  of  a  courtesan  as  the  goddess  of 
reason.  A  star  wrought  in  the  marble  floor  indicates  the  spot 
where  Napoleon,  in  presence  of  Pope  Pius  VII.,  and  a  brilliant 
concourse,  with  his  own  hands,  placed  the  imperial  crown  upon 
the  brows  of  himself  and  Josephine  in  1801,  and  the  magnifi- 
cent robes  worn  by  these  illustrious  personages  on  that  occasion 
are  still  exhibited. 

After  Protestant  worship  in  the  afternoon,  I  went  to  St.  Roch, 
in  the  Rue  St.  Honore,  the  church  at  present  patronized  by  the 
queen  and  royal  family.  Though,  in  comparison  with  many 
others,  it  is  plain  in  its  architecture,  yet  it  is  said  to  be  the  rich- 


30  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IV. 

est  in  Paris.  It  is  celebrated  for  its  music,  and  on  grand  occa- 
sions some  of  the  first  professional  and  opera  singers  are  en- 
gaged. Soldiers  in  uniform  were  interspersed  through  the 
crowd,  apparently  to  keep  order.  In  a  pause  in  the  services 
the  immense  organ  played  till  the  vaulted  roof  appeared  fairly 
to  tremble ;  and  the  deep  bass  notes  seemed  like  the  reverbera- 
tions of  half-suppressed  thunder.  They  yielded  to  the  flute-like 
cadences  of  a  lovely  duetto.  Then,  from  an  invisible  source, 
there  stole  on  the  ear  the  plaintive,  silvery  notes  of  one  of  the 
sweetest  solos  to  which  I  ever  listened.  It  seemed  like  the  voice 
of  a  pure  spirit  interceding  for  the  sins  of  the  throng  below. 
Now,  as  if  overcome  with  its  own  impassioned  tenderness,  it 
grew  fainter  and  fainter;  and  again,  as  with  increasing  faith,  it 
rose  til],  as  soothingly  as  the  last  thrillings  of  a  wind-harp,  it  was 
gently  hushed.  In  a  gladder  strain  burst  forth  the  mingled 
warblings  of  a  dozen  voices.  For  a  moment  I  was  fairly  car- 
ried away  with  emotion.  I  thought  of  the  songs  of  the  re- 
deemed in  a  happier  land.  But  a  single  glance  at  what,  to  one 
educated  in  a  different  faith,  seemed  very  strange  associations 
around,  speedily  dissipated  the  charm. 

Sauntering  along  the  Boulevards  one  day,  I  came  in  front 
of  the  beautiful  Madeleine.  The  gigantic  bronze  doors  were 
hung  with  black  cloth,  and  I  quietly  entered.  The  wax-lights 
burning,  the  coffin  in  the  centre,  the  priests  gesticulating  and 
praying  for  the  dead,  and  the  chanting  of  the  mournful  dirge 
told  too  well  the  nature  of  the  sad  ceremony.  This  is  a  very 
singular  edifice,  both  in  its  history  and  construction.  Com- 
menced at  an  early  period  by  Louis  XV.,  the  work  was  sus- 
pended at  the  Revolution,  remodeled  by  Napoleon  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  temple  of  glory  in  honor  of  the  gi'and  army,  changed 
again  to  its  original  purpose  by  Louis  XVIIL,  and  finally  com- 
pleted by  Louis  Philippe.  The  plan  of  the  building  is  said  to 
have  been  taken  from  a  heathen  temple,  and  it  certainly  has 
little  of  the  appearance  of  a  Christian  church.     Yet  there  is 


Chap.  IV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  31 


something  exceedingly  imposing  in  its  external  aspect.  The 
more  you  gaze  on  it  the  more  you  are  pleased.  Without  dome, 
tower,  or  side  windows,  it  stands  on  an  elevated  base,  rhajestic- 
ally  supported  on  every  side  by  a  very  lofty  range  of  Corinth- 
ian columns.  And  the  colossal  statues  of  about  as  many  saints 
in  the  intermediate  niches  in  the  walls,  and  the  magnificent 
alto-relievo  of  the  Savior  and  Mary  Magdalene  in  the  southern 
pediment,  form  the  details  of  the  picture.  Within  are  marble, 
gilding,  and  splendid  paintings.  The  first  view  really  is  so  gor- 
geous that  it  takes  away  somewhat  of  that  sense  of  solemnity 
that  we  naturally  associate  with  a  church.  Four  large  domes, 
leading  up  to  as  many  circular  sky-lights,  ornamented  with  ele- 
gant paneling,  seemed  covered  with  gold.  The  composition  of 
the  historical  picture  of  the  progress  of  Christianity,  over  the 
altar,  and  the  gioup  in  marble,  representing  Mary  Magdalene 
borne  by  angels  to  heaven,  are  superb. 

Close  to  the  Madeleine,  as  you  walk  down  the  right-hand 
side  of  the  Rue  Royale,  you  notice  the  inscription  "  Wesleyan 
Chapel."  You  enter.  They  are  singing  in  your  native  tongue, 
an  air  that  you  have  heard  in  many  a  worshiping  assembly  far 
away.  A  venerable  minister  with  white  locks  is  peering  through 
his  glasses.  Presently,  in  a  pleasing,  earnest  manner,  he  en- 
forces some  leading  religious  truth.  When  service  is  over,  you 
Step  forward  perhaps,  and,  with  the  slightest  introduction,  you 
receive  a  cordial  gieeting.  You  have  been  listening  to  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Toase. 

Some  twenty-four  missionaries,  including  one  or  two  in 
French-Switzerland,  are  now  laboring  successfully  among  the 
French  population,  under  the  auspices  of  the  excellent  Wes- 
leyan  Missionaiy  Society  of  London. 

Perhaps  the  reader  will  allow  me,  in  fancy,  familiarly  to  take 
his  arm,  and  continue  the  walk  down  tlie  Rue  Royale,  and, 
turning  to  the  left,  down  the  Rue  St.  Honore  to  go  a  little  be- 
yond the  Palais  Royal  to  a  massive  church,  which  some  one 


32  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IV. 

politely  tells  us  is  the  Oratoire.  We  are  not  far  from  the  tower 
of  the  old  church  whose  bell  tolled  the  fatal  signal  for  the  mas- 
sacre of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  the  window  in  the  Louvre  from 
which  Charles  IX.  fired  upon  the  hunted  Huguenots.  Too 
much  occupied  with  thrilling  memories,  we  stop  not  to  admire 
the  exterior,  or  count  its  pillars.  We  enter,  and  are  courteous- 
ly seated.  Having  been  changed  from  a  Catholic  to  a  Protest- 
ant place  of  worship  in  the  time  of  Napoleon,  all  its  pictures 
and  showy  ornaments  inside  have  been  removed.  A  sedate- 
looking  minister,  thickly  set,  more  than  middle-aged,  with  a 
massive  forehead  and  dark  features,  enters  the  desk.  He 
wears  a  plain  black  gown.  A  veiy  earnest  prayer  is  offered. 
How  touching  and  expressive  is  the  use  of  the  second  pei-son 
singular  in  French  in  addressing  the  Deity  !  It  is  the  very  form 
of  speech  only  permitted  in  the  most  intimate  and  sacred  rela- 
tions of  life. 

Every  one  appears  furnished  with  a  book  having  the  French 
hymns  on  one  side  and  the  music  on  the  other,  and  almost  ev- 
ery voice  in  the  entire  assembly  seems  to  join  in  full  and  sweet 
harmony,  assisted  only  by  an  organ. 

The  sermon  is  extempore,  glowing,  chaste,  and  evangelical. 
Toward  the  end,  the  speaker  becomes  quite  eloquent  and  im- 
passioned, and  uses  considerable  expressive  gesture. 

We  have  been  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  National  Protest- 
ant Church,  listening  to  Frederic  Monod.  He  and  his  brother, 
Adolphe  Monod,  are  the  great  champions  of  the  evangelical 
paity  in  France. 

In  theory  no  country  in  Europe  has  more  religious  freedom. 
The  last  revolution  finished  the  work  of  the  firet  and  made  the 
various  sects  equal  in  the  eyes  of  the  law.  Catholic,  Protestant, 
and  Jewish  teachers  were  alike  to  be  salaried  by  the  state. 
Still,  however,  the  local  magistrates  in  the  provinces,  under 
false  pretexts,  occasionally  persecute. 

The  Protestants  of  France  are  variously  estimated  at  from 


Chap.  V.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  33 

one  and  a  half  to  two  millions,  with  seven  hundred  and  ten 
pastors  paid  by  the  government,  of  whom  two  hundred  and 
forty  are  Lutherans.  The  public  expense  last  year  for  Protest- 
ant worship  was  1,250,000  francs.  More  than  one  half  of  the 
French  Protestant  clergy  have  latterly  become  evangelical. 
The  rest  are  rationalists.  The  Duchess  of  Orleans,  mother  of 
the  heir  to  the  throne,  the  Duchess  d'Aumale,  fifteen  peers,  and 
twenty  of  the  late  deputies  are  enumerated  as  professors  of  the 
refonned  faith,  and  M.  Guizot  is  so  nominally.  About  two 
hundred  colporteurs  in  the  dress  of  the  peasantry,  and  on  foot, 
are  engaged  in  distributing  the  Scriptures  and  religious  teaching, 
under  the  patronage  of  excellent  societies  in  Paris  and  Geneva, 
aided  by  benevolent  individuals  or  organizations  in  connection 
with  various  religious  bodies  in  Great  Britain  and  America. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Fete  du  Roi — Imagination — Place  de  la  Concorde — The  Tuileries — Champa 
Elysees — Living  Statue — Arcli  of  Triumph — Louis  Philippe — Fireworks — 
Pericles. 

The  sun  of  the  first  of  May  rose  upon  the  dome  of  the  Tnva- 
lides,  and  the  winding  Seine,  as  brightly  as  the  famed  one  of 
Austerlitz.  Soon  the  drums  beat  to  arms,  and  files  of  the 
National  Guard  were  streaming  along  tlie  streets.  All  Paris 
was  in  motion.  Was  there  to  be  another  revolution]  or  a 
review  of  the  troops  in  the  Champ  de  Mars  in  presence  of  the 
Grand  Turk?  or  the  ceremony  of  welcoming  Spring,  by  crovm- 
ing,  with  a  wreath  of  flowers,  a  gentle  maiden  ]  Neither.  The 
Emperor  of  China  is  said  to  encourage  agriculture  by  holding 
the  plough  in  great  state  once  a-year,  and  the  kings  of  France 
have   an  ancient  custom  of  doing  what,  in  tho  end,  perhaps 


34  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  V. 

amounts  to  much  the  same  thing,  by  giving  annually  a  grand 
holy  day,  or  Fete  du  Roi,  as  it  is  termed,  on  which  they  show 
that  they  have  been  duly  patronizing  the  products  of  that  most 
useful  instrument,  by  publicly  exhibiting  their  goodly  persons. 
The  citizen-king  then  was  about  to  have  an  interview  with  his 
excitable  subjects. 

As  the  day  advanced,  the  press  at  the  more  attractive  points 
was  so  great  that  it  became  a  debatable  question,  whether  it 
were  longer  justifiable  for  diminutive  persons  or  invalids  to 
•appear.  About  noon  a  small  detachment  of  friends,  among 
w^hom  I  ranked  as  only  a  private,  formed  themselves  in  column, 
and  succeeded  in  gallantly  penetrating  as  far  as  head-quarters 
in  the  Champs  Elysees. 

I  must  now  beg  the  reader,  who  in  fancy  has  accompanied  us 
thus  far,  to  go  with  me  to  some  lofty  point  of  obsei'vation  to 
reconnoitre  the  field.  Here  we  are,  after  a  few  minutes'  walk, 
in  an  open  square  space,  beautifully  laid  out,  embellished  here 
and  there  with  groups  in  marble — personifying  the  principal 
cities  of  France — high  bron^ze  columns,  and  a  splendid  fountain 
at  each  end,  gushing  up  amid  sea-gods,  nereids,  and  dolphins  ; 
and  the  whole,  as  it  were,  forming  a  continuation  between  two 
parks.  It  is  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  formerly  the  Place  de 
la  Revolution. 

Now,  either  by  an  active  effort  of  the  imagination  or  mes- 
meric clairvoyance,  please  seat  yourself  on  the  top  of  the  obelisk 
of  Luxor,  that  you  see  standing  in  the  centre.  There — steady 
— hold  fast.  You  are  at  an  elevation  of  some  eighty  feet. 
What  a  magnificent  prospect !  Here,  in  the  heart  of  Paris, 
covering  the  whole  north  bank  of  the  Seine  for  about  two  miles, 
is  a  wide  space,  occupied  with  a  continuous  range  of  public 
pleasure-grounds,  bounded  at  one  end  by  the  Palace  of  the 
Tuileries,  and  the  other  by  the  Aroh  of  Triumph,  ornamented 
with  shady  groves  of  lime,  chestnut,  and  elm,  with  leaves  just 
expanding  in  the  luxuriance  of  spring,  sunny  spots,  marble 


CHA4f^'.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE. 


3S 


statues,   parterres  of  flowers,   murmuring   fountains,   terraced 
walks,  and  green  avenues,  all  mingled  with  delightful  effect. 

Eastward,  including  some  sixty  acres,  between  you  and  the 
palace,  is  the  Garden  of  the  Tuileries;  westward,  the  more  ex- 
tensive Champs  Elysees ;  northward,  the  Palace,  hotels  of  the 
Rue  R-ivoli,  while  just  opposite  yoU,  on  the  same  side,  through  a 
short,  wide  avenue,  is  a  full  view  of  the  front  of  the  Madeleine ; 
to  the  south  again,  without  any  edifice  or  obstacle  to  obstruct  the 
prospect,  flows  the  silvery  Seine,  spanned  by  light  and  beautiful 
bridges;  and  just  on  the  opposite  bank,  at  a  corresponding  dis- 
tance from  the  Madeleine,  is  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  with  the 
Hospital  of  the  Tnvalides  in  the  rerx,  with  its  grounds  running 
down  to  the  river  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  the  Palace  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  the  beautiful  Palais  d'Orsay,  built  by 
Napoleon  for  his  son. 

Please  examine,  also,  for  a  moment,  the  lofty  joedestal  upon 
which,  in  fancy  at  least,  you  are  supported  as  a  respectable 
living  statue.  You  perceive  it  is  a  square,  tapering  column. 
You  have  occupied  no  common  seat.  It  was  the  magnificent 
present  of  Mehemet  Ali  to  the  French  government.  Composed 
of  a  single  block  of  red  syenite,  it  required  the  labors  of  eight 
hundred  men,  for  three  months,  under  a  burning  sun,  to  remove 
it  to  the  Nile.  The  curious  figures  of  birds,  circles,  and  lines 
which  you  see  upon  its  sides  were  worked  more  than  thirty 
centuries  before  you  were  born,  to  commemorate  the  deeds  of 
Sesostris.  It  is  planted,  too,  in  the  centre  of  a  place  that  has 
been  moistened  with  the  blood  of  Louis  XVI.,  Marie  Antoi- 
nette, the  Duke  of  Orleans,  the  eloquent  leaders  of  the  Gironde, 
Madame  Roland,  and  nearly  three  thousand  of  the  more  illus- 
trious victims  of  the  Revolution.  Perhaps  it  is  well  thus  with 
the  associations  of  a  primeval  age  to  relieve  somewhat  the  bur- 
den of  sad  reminiscences  that  cling  to  this  fatal  spot.  But,  pos- 
sibly, you  are  fatigued,  and  it  is  time  to  descend. 

On  reaching  the  ground,  you  find  that  the  groves,  avenues, 


36  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  V. 

and  open  spaces  are  so  arranged  as,  in  whatever  direction  you 
turn,  to  bring  into  view  some  fine  structure,  and  those  coii*e- 
sponding  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass  are  the  church,  the 
legislative  chamber,  the  palace,  and  the  monumental  arch  be- 
fore mentioned.  From  what  single  point  in  the  whole  world 
besides  can  you  see  so  many  splendid  and  beautiful  things  ] 

And  now,  to  get  a  still  better  idea  of  some  portions  of  the 
field,  we  will  crowd  our  way  through  the  masses  up  the  broad 
avenue  through  the  centre  of  the  Champs  Elysees  westward,  to 
the  triumphal  arch  that  we  see  standing  out  so  boldly  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Here  we  are,  after  quite  a  walk,  gazing  at  the  arched  pile 
towering  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  us,  covered  with  bas- 
reliefs  and  colossal  groups  and  figures  in  stone,  representing 
noted  victories,  with  the  names  of  triumphs  and  generals  in- 
numerable inscribed  upon  the  stone. 

This  great  work  was  commenced  by  Napoleon,  and  finished, 
as  usual,  by  Louis  Philippe.  Let  us  ascend  to  the  elevated 
platform  on  the  top,  by  the  winding  staircase  within.  What  a 
splendid  panorama  is  before  us  !  You  see  the  whole  city,  ly- 
ing, as  it  were,  in  a  basin,  of  which  you  are  upon  the  highest 
elevation,  surrounded  by  the  neighboring  hills,  with  the  Seine 
winding  through  the  centi-e,  from  east  to  west,  while  the  space 
through  which  we  have  just  passed  appears  a  verdant  oblong 
square  manning  eastward  along  its  left  bank.  In  the  distance 
before  are  seen  peering  up  the  towers  of  Notre  Dame  and  the 
dome  of  the  Pantheon. 

Let  us  descend  and  study  the  people,  by  watching  their 
amusements. 

To  return  to  the  description  :  In  that  part  of  the  Champs 
Elysees  nearest  the  river,  in  the  open  spots  among  the  trees, 
there  are  several  airy  structures  for  pictorial  exhibitions,  cafes, 
and  various  diversions.  This  was  the  great  centre  of  the  ex- 
citement for  most  of  the  time.     Here  was  erected  a  temporary 


Chap.  V.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  37 

theatre,  and  from  the  occasional  reports  of  musketry  within,  I 
supposed  there  was  some  martial  or  tragic  performance.  Then 
there  were  stands  for  selling  all  kinds  of  refreshments  and  small 
wares,  conveniences  for  innumerable  games,  flying  horses,  and 
swings  suspended  in  air,  monsters  just  caught,  shows  of  various 
descriptions,  with  bands  of  tawdry-clad  musicians,  and  persons 
in  front  of  the  tents,  playing  most  ludicrous  antics,  and  shouting 
at  the  top  of  their  voices,  to  decoy  those  who  passed — all  form- 
ing the  strangest  scene  imaginable. 

The  most  amusing  thing  to  me  was  a  popular  lecture  on  rheu- 
matism, probably  one  of  a  miscellaneous  series,  delivered,  by  a 
charlatan,  in  connection  with  the  sale  of  a  wonderful  medicine. 
Our  priest  of  jiEsculapius  was  a  fierce-looking  man,  about  fifty 
years  of  age,  dressed  somewhat  in  the  Turkish  style,  and  wear- 
ing a  most  respectable  beard.  His  traveling  establishment 
consisted  of  two  carriages  and  four  musicians.  The  latter 
would  play  a  few  minutes,  when  our  hero  would  rise,  adjust 
himself  with  becoming  dignity,  and  beckon  silence  ;  and  then 
there  came  such  a  flow  of  sublimated  learning,  so  many  happy 
hits,  and  such  a  strain  of  real,  natural  eloquence,  that,  after  all, 
it  was  not  strange  that  he  succeeded. 

Near  sunset  we  moved  onward  with  the  masses  till  we  came 
in  front  of  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries.  As  you  approach,  the 
view  of  the  fi'ont,  on  account  of  its  gi*eat  width  and  tuiTeted 
pavilions,  is  very  gi'and.  It  is  in  the  style  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, having  been  built  principally  by  Catherine  de  Medicis. 
It  will  be  recollected  that  it  was  in  attempting  to  defend  this 
place  that  the  Swiss  guards  were  so  fearfully  massacred  on  the 
memorable  10th  of  August,  1792.  Over  the  passage,  under  the 
middle  pavilion,  there  is  a  balcony.  To  this  the  eyes  of  the 
vast  multitude  were  intently  directed.  At  length  the  door 
opened,  and  the  king  stepped  forward,  raised  his  hat,  and  cour- 
teously and  repeatedly  bowed.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I 
heard  the  celebrated  cry  of  "  Vive  le  roi,"  and  from  an  immense 


38  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  V. 

orchestra,  placed  in  front,  burst  forth  the  Marseillaise,  followed 
by  the  Parisienne.  The  king  and  queen  kept  saluting  the  as- 
semblage continually ;  and  his  grandson,  the  Count  de  Paris,  a 
sprightly  lad  of  some  eight  years,  who  is  heir  to  the  throne,  for- 
getting to  raise  his  cap,  the  king  turned  and  reminded  him  of  it 
by  a  gentle  touch  of  the  hand.  He  looked  exceedingly  well, 
being,  as  most  are  aware,  of  a  medium  height,  rather  full  fig- 
ure and  face,  with  an  easy,  dignified  bearing,  and  still  appearing 
to  retain  considerable  of  the  vigor  of  a  green  old  age.  The 
attempt  upon  his  life,  by  Le  Compte,  just  previous,  added  inter- 
est to  the  occasion. 

As  it  grew  dark  there  was  the  most  brilliant  exhibition  of 
fireworks  along  the  Seine  that  I  ever  witnessed.  Rockets, 
stars,  suns,  and  figures  of  every  hue  mingled  in  the  air  in  a 
thousand  coruscations. 

Returning  homeward,  we  passed  near  the  gate  a  beautiful 
marble  statue  of  Pericles,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  that 
the  wily  Greek,  who  was  so  fond  of  embellishing  his  native  city, 
and  flattering  the  Athenians  with  expensive  amusements,  had 
some  veiy  successful  imitators. 


Chap.  VI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  39 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Palais  Royal — Flight  of  Fancy — The  Lou\Te. 

Facing  the  Rue  St.  Honore  is  the  imposing  front  of  the 
Palais  Royal.  This  far-famed  place,  so  dear  to  the  French- 
man, is  to  Paris  what  Paris  is  to  France ;  and  a  decree  of  ban- 
ishment from  its  in  closure  would  be  quite  as  grievous  to  the 
citizens  as  that  by  Napoleon  was  to  poor  Madame  de  Stael. 
They  have  named  a  portion  of  their  public  grounds  the  Elysian 
Fields  ;  but  if  you  were  to  ask  where  the  real  Elysium  was,  you 
would  probably  be  shown  farther  east,  to  a  garden  inclosed  by 
a  palace.  It  is  indeed  as  romantic  a  spot  as  any  of  which  the 
old  poets  dreamed ;  nor  is  it  wonderful  that  a  people  consti- 
tuted as  the  French  are  should  clino:  to  it  with  stranjje  affec- 
tion.  There  are  several  causes  for  this.  Every  one  has  ft^lt  the 
peculiar  sensation  of  satisfaction  with  himself  and  all  the  world 
which  steals  over  even  the  previously  anxious  man  just  after  a 
leisurely,  comfortable  dinner.  This  event  usually  occurs  witli 
the  Parisian  from  four  to  six  o'clock.  He  is  the  least  solitary 
in  his  habits  of  any  of  his  species.  In  fact  he  is  perfectly  gre- 
garious. He  dines  with  a  throng  at  a  restaurant,  and,  after  this, 
if  he  can  possibly  afford  it,  he  throws  aside  all  care  and  business, 
and  spends  the  rest  of  the  day  with  his  friends  or  family  in  some 
])ublic  place  of  recreation.  Among  the  most  frequented  of 
these,  in  the  summer  evenings,  is  that  we  have  mentioned. 
Fancy  the  good  citizens  of  New- York  to  be  thus,  from  educa- 
tion, gradually  weaned  from  their  hcartlis,  and  the  Park  con- 
verted, for  their  entertainment,  into  a  square  instead  of  a  tri- 
angle, and  the  City  Hall  removed  from  the  centre  and  expanded 
into  a  magnificent  edifice  completely  surrounding  the  whole,  so 
as  to  afford  a  shelter  from  the  chilling  wind,  and  the  noise  of  the 


40  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VI. 

neighboring  streets  ;  remove  the  fountain  to  the  middle,  and 
place  here  and  there  among  the  trees  a  statue  and  beds  of 
flowers;  furnish  it  with  free  seats,  a  large  number  of  easy 
chairs,  and  the  journals  of  the  day  to  be  rented  for  the  merest 
trifle ;  tastefully  arrange  behind  the  pretty  row  of  columns  ex- 
tending the  whole  way  round  the  finest  jewelers'  establishments 
and  fancy  shops  in  Broadway,  and  fill  a  portion  of  them  with 
the  more  showy  and  elegant  curiosities  (ladies  included)  exhib- 
ited at  the  Fair  of  the  American  Institute ;  illuminate  it  with 
hundreds  of  dazzling  lights ;  make  it  the  cherished  place  of 
friendly  gi'eetings,  and  the  scene  of  thrilling  events  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  struggles  for  freedom,  and  you  have  the  best  ex- 
planation we  can  devise  in  the  shape  of  an  imaginary  plan  of  a 
republican  Palais  Royal.  I  shall  never  forget  a  moonlight  walk 
in  this  enchanting  place.  Hundreds  were  dreamily  basking  in 
the  summer  air :  some,  with  the  genial  sky  for  a  canopy,  in  the 
oriental  spirit  of  contentment,  were  sipping  a  tiny  cup  of  coffee, 
or  an  ice ;  others  gathered  in  little  circles,  in  sweet,  low  tones, 
were  exchanging  respectful  or  affectionate  civilities  in  the  most 
polished  of  languages,  while  many,  like  the  insects  that  flit  from 
flower  to  flower,  were  gracefully  roaming  in  search  of  the  vaiied 
beauties  of  the  fairy  scene.  To  one  group  at  least,  it  was  a  de- 
lightful, unexpected  reunion  in  a  strange  land  of  long  parted 
friends,  the  rest  of  whom,  should  they  ever  glance  at  this,  may 
sympathize  with  me  in  treasuring  its  remembrance  with  pecu- 
liar interest. 

Having  been  built  originally  for  the  princely  Cardinal  Riche- 
lieu, the  Palais  Royal  was  afterward  given  as  a  maniage 
present  by  Louis  XIV.  to  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  The  father 
of  Louis  Philippe,  its  present  owner,  having  become  involved, 
had  shops  fitted  up  in  the  style  we  see  them  now,  and  thus  real- 
ized a  large  revenue. 

It  was  a  popular  rendezvous  in  both  Revolutions.  Here 
Camille  Desmoulins  first  harangued  the  mob,  pistol  in  hand  j 


Chap.  VI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  41 

and  here  met  the  Jacobins,  the  Girondists,  and  other  pohtical 
clubs.  The  interior  of  the  palace  and  the  paintings,  unfortu- 
nately, are  only  open  on  sabbaths,  to  the  practical  exclusion  of 
the  more  conscientious  of  our  countrymen. 

Meeting  an  American  friend  one  day,  who  complained  of 
being  somewhat  fatigued,  I  ventured  to  inquire  the  cause. 
**  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  have  been  seeing  about  three  miles  of  pic- 
tures." He  had  been  at  the  Louvre.  This  very  ancient  resi- 
dence of  kings,  now  converted  into  a  palace  of  the  fine  arts,  is 
near  that  last  described,  and  extends  along  the  Seine  to  the 
Tuileries.  Besides  the  marine  museum  and  those  of  antiqui- 
ties and  sculpture,  it  contains,  as  is  generally  known,  one  of  the 
largest  and  finest  collections  of  paintings  in  the  world.  Nearly 
equally  divided  among  the  French,  Flemish,  German,  and  Italian 
schools  are  some  fourteen  hundred  pictures,  together  with  four 
hundred  and  fifty  in  the  Spanish  gallery.  There  are  La  Belle 
Jardiniere  by  Raphael,  gems  by  Guido  and  Salvator  Rosa, 
many  choice  specimens  from  the  pencil  of  Rubens,  deep-toned 
religious  pictures  fi'om  Murillo  and  Morales,  and  other  master- 
pieces from  the  old  painters,  enough  to  turn  the  head  of  a  con- 
noisseur. The  works  of  living  artists  are  only  admitted  tempo- 
raiily  for  a  few  weeks  at  an  annual  exhibition.  This  was  open 
at  my  first  visit.  If  an  inhabitant  of  another  world  had  wished 
to  have  sought  some  spot  where,  in  the  shortest  time,  he  could 
have  learned  the  most  about  this,  he  could  have  hoped  for  no 
better  opportunity  than  to  have  ranged  through  the  Louvre 
on  this  occasion.  It  told  of  the  living  and  the  dead.  In  the 
galleries  of  the  old  paintings  were  the  pale  faces  of  the  artists, 
male  and  female,  sometimes  lighted  up  with  the  fire  of  genius, 
as  they  tned  to  catch  the  spirit,  and  copy  the  works  of  the  great 
masters,  while  hundreds  of  every  rank  wore  flocking  as  to  a  fes- 
tival to  see  the  productions  newly  exposed.  Every  earthly 
scene,  and  every  form  of  human  bliss  or  suftering  were  there 
delineated ;  variously  arranged  were  the  peaceful  cottage,  and 


42  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VII. 

the  storm-tossed  ocean,  the  angehc  face  of  infancy,  or  fond  ones 
plightmg  at  the  altar,  and  the  foaming  chargers,  the  frenzied 
visages,  the  bleeding  wounded,  and  the  trampled  dead  of  one 
of  Horace  Vernet's  battle-pieces,  and  countless  others,  all 
vividly  true  to  life.  Death  was  there  in  every  form.  A  child 
was  expiring  in  its  mother's  arms ;  the  beautiful  Princess 
Lamballe,  all  pale,  was  fainting  in  the  midst  of  her  assassins; 
a  lost  one  was  sinking  in  the  flood;  Cleopatra  was  slumbeiing 
with  the  poisonous  asp  upon  her  arm ;  and  then  you  recognized 
the  haggard  face  of  the  imperial  exile  of  St.  Helena  ;  by  his  bed 
were  the  sword  and  the  green  surtout,  and  you  almost  fancied 
you  could  hear  from  those  pallid  lips  the  low  death-murmur, 
"  Tete  d'Armeer 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

Latin  Quarter — Escape — Orleans — Jeanne  d'Arc — Galvanizing  History — The 
Loire — Tours — St.  Martin — Amboise. 

Surely  if  we  are  ever  prepared  to  appreciate  the  goodness 
of  Providence  in  bestowing  breezy  hills,  glad  streams,  and 
flower-scented  fields,  it  is  after  an  imprisonment  in  a  densely- 
populated  city.  To  be  near  the  hospitals  and  schools,  I  had 
taken  up  my  abode  not  far  from  the  Sorbonne,  in  one  of  the 
oldest  and  closest  parts  of  Paris,  which,  from  its  being  the  seat 
of  the  French  Institute,  the  colleges,  and  various  institutions 
of  theology,  law,  and  medicine,  as  well  as  the  residence  of  sev- 
eral thousand  students  and  literary  characters,  great  and  small, 
is  jestingly  or  seriously  known  in  common  parlance  as  the  Quar- 
tier  Latin.    I  fancy  that  it  must  have  been  on  this  classic  ground 


Chap.  VII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  43 

that  the  word  "ennui"  was  invented.  I  became  a  victim.  All 
the  attempts  of  the  people  in  the  streets  to  be  as  uproarious 
as  the  outside  barbarians  were  insufficient  to  break  the  spell. 
The  early  showers  and  delightful  changes  of  spring  were 
now  past.  Every  thing  was  going  on  in  a  state  of  utter 
regularity.  The  sun  rose  in  my  window  every  fine  morning 
over  precisely  the  same  smoky  pile  of  chimneys ;  the  dome  of 
the  Pantheon,  like  all  great  things,  was  growing  rather  tame 
from  familiarity ;  the  statue  of  Heniy  IV.  on  Pont  Neuf  re- 
mained in  statu  quo  ;  the  streets  were  as  nari'ow,  the  pavements 
as  intolerable,  and  the  shops  as  tasteful  as  they  were  the  week 
previous;  the  patients  in  Hotel  Dieu  and  La  Charite  were  very 
similar ;  and  the  lecture-rooms  seemed  as  crowded,  the  profes- 
sors as  profound,  and  their  followers  with  their  note-books  look- 
ed as  knowing  and  wistful  as  ever.  Either  from  too  presump- 
tuous exposure  to  so  much  learning,  sudden  change  from  an 
active  to  a  sedentary  life,  or  some  other  cause,  my  unpleasant 
feelings  amounted  at  length  to  decided  indisposition.  I  used 
languidly  to  saunter  into  the  adjacent  garden  of  the  Luxem- 
bourg, and  bare  my  feverish  brow  to  court  a  little  fleeting 
breath,  that  sometimes  came  laden  with  the  perfume  of  the 
orange-trees,  and  that  would  have  grown  to  a  breeze  but  for 
the  suncjunding  walls  of  houses.  In  the  midst  of  a  throng  of 
strange  faces  I  felt  lonely,  grew  sentimental^  and  in  a  deep  rev- 
ery  dreamed,  fondly  dreamed  of  home  and  absent  friends.  I 
fairly  envied  the  unconscious  happiness  of  the  children  that  in 
noisome  glee  were  playing  in  the  shade  of  the  trees.  Artificial 
as  the  place  was,  it  reminded  me  of  freedom.  I  longed  for 
some  spot  where  the  flowers  giew  wild ;  and,  like  a  bird  let 
loose,  I  might  sport  with  the  gentle  south  wind,  and  gaze  at 
will  on  the  prospect  of  the  azure  sky,  fringed  only  by  the  green 
earth. 

To  my  great  delight,  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  a  very 
dear  early  fiiend,  who  had  just  recovered  from  a  dangerous  ill- 


44  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VII. 

ness  in  London,  and  I  gladly  embraced  the  proposition  of  an 
excursion  for  our  health.  So  away  we  flew  on  the  wings  of 
eteam,  or,  to  speak  less  poetically,  upon  the  Paris  and  Orleans 
railroad,  for  the  sunny  south.  Ascending  the  right  bank  of  the 
Seine,  we  caught  glimpses  of  many  charming  country-seats  ;  and 
as  the  engine  stopped  now  and  then,  as  if  for  breath,  we  had 
views  of  several  pretty  villages,  among  which  was  Ablon,  the 
seat  of  one  of  the  three  churches  allowed  the  Protestants  of 
Paris  by  the  edict  of  Nantes.  Leaving  the  river  at  Invisy, 
over  a  gently-undulating  surface,  we  passed  Savigny,  the  splen- 
did residence  of  the  widow  of  Marshal  Davoust,  the  once  dread- 
ed tower  of  Montleiy,  and  the  battle-field  of  the  tyrant  Louis 
XL  and  his  turbulent  vassals,  till  at  length  we  made  a  full  stop 
in  the  centre  of  the  route  at  Etampes,  an  elongated  old  town, 
with  a  leaning  tower,  and  the  remains  of  a  dismantled  castle. 
Then,  halting  occasionally,  we  whirled  for  a  long  distance 
through  the  monotonously-level,  but  very  fertile,  country  of  La 
Beauce,  till  the  train  stopped  in  a  pleasant  suburb,  and  there 
was  a  general  rush  for  the  good  city  of  Orleans.  This  veiy  an- 
cient and  once-flourishing  town  occupies  a  level  area  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Loire,  formerly  the  site  of  the  Roman  Aure- 
lianum.  As  you  are  suddenly  transfeiTed  from  the  busy  capi- 
tal, its  quiet  streets,  dilapidated,  dingy  old  houses,  and  the  ab- 
sence of  striking  objects  in  a  place  so  renowned  in  history,  ex- 
cite at  first  a  feeling  of  disappointment.  The  cathedral,  a  fine 
Gothic  edifice,  commenced  by  Henry  IV.  to  ingi'atiate  himself 
with  the  pope,  attracted  our  first  attention.  Then  we  saw  a 
large  placard  from  the  city  authorities  announcing  a  recent  cel- 
ebration of  the  anniversary  of  the  raising  of  the  siege  by  Joan 
of  Arc  in  1429  ;  and  we  started  in  search  of  memorials  of  the 
heroic  maid,  whose  name  is  the  brightest  association  of  Orleans. 
We  visited  the  house  which  she  selected  for  her  residence,  that 
she  might  be  under  the  protection  of  a  virtuous  and  respected 
matron,  its   mistress;  as  also  the  cross  and  monument  to  her 


Chap.  VII.]  LOITERINGS  IiN  EUROrE.  45 

memory,  near  the  spot  where  she  was  wounded,  on  the  oppo- 
site bank  of  tlie  river. 

After  all  there  is  nothing  that  so  galvanizes  one's  historical 
lore  as  contact  with  such  storied  relics.  I  really  fancy  that  my 
friend  and  I,  just  at  that  critical  moment,  from  memory  and  sun- 
dry peeps  into  a  convenient  naiTativc  we  had  thoughtfully 
pocketed  between  us,  might  have  stood  a  tyro's  examination  on 
the  *'  Life  and  adventures  of  Joan  of  Arc,"  from  a  professor  in 
spectacles.  What  a  pretty  little  romantic  tale  to  have  repeated 
in  hesitating  sentences  !  A  young  prince,  heir  to  a  kingdom 
ruined  by  factions  and  the  prolonged  insanity  of  his  father,  ia 
betrayed  by  his  own  mother  and  flies  to  the  south  of  the  Loire, 
leaving  three  fourths  of  his  country  in  the  hands  of  the  English 
and  the  stern  successor  of  the  hero  of  Agincourt — Orleans,  the 
key  of  his  position  is  invested,  the  French  and  Scottish  forces 
covering  it  are  defeated.  All  seems  lost,  and  the  citizens  dream 
of  cruel  capture,  and  the  prince  meditates  a  retreat. 

At  this  crisis  a  simple  peasant  girl  of  seventeen,  in  a  remote 
village,  is  seized  with  a  religious  enthusiasm  to  deliver  her  coun- 
try— accomplishes  almost  alone  a  long  and  dangerous  journey 
— finally  succeeds  in  obtaining  the  countenance  of  her  prince, 
places  herself  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  troops,  penetrates  the 
lines,  and  in  complete  armor,  with  her  sacred  banner  waving, 
presents  herself  to  the  astonished  citizens.  The  English  are 
terribly  annoying  the  town  fi'om  a  strong  fort  erected  on  an 
island,  where  the  bridge  crosses  the  river,  and  garrisoned  with 
their  best  troops.  Against  the  remonstrances  of  the  most  expe- 
rienced officers  she  determines  on  attacking  this,  leads  the  assault 
in  person,  and  when,  after  hours  of  ineftectual  conflict,  she  sees 
lier  diminished  band  falter,  she  seizes  a  ladder  and  attempts 
the  breach,  is  wounded  and  taken  up  for  dead,  rallies  and  re- 
tunis  to  the  charge,  cames  the  fort,  and,  the  seventh  day  from  her 
entrance,  raises  the  siege. 

Then  come  the  marvelous  events  of  her  subsequent  career — 


46  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VIL 

her  bravery  in  future  conflicts — her  skill  in  rousing  the  nation, 
by  leading  the  incredulous  Charles  to  Rheims,  then  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  to  be  crowned ;  the  spotless  purity  of  her  life — 
her  hoiTor  of  cruelty,  and  her  humanity  to  the  prisoners — her 
modest  request,  after  having  accomplished  her  mission  by  so 
many  splendid  victories,  to  be  permitted  to  return  to  her  former 
humble  sphere — her  uniform  trust  in  Providence,  and  devotion 
to  the  duties  of  religion,  as  prescribed  in  the  rites  of  that  dark 
age — and,  finally,  her  gentleness  and  resignation  in  submitting 
to  a  cruel  and  unmerited  death. 

Bidding  adieu  to  Orleans  next  morning,  we  took  passage 
down  the  Loire  in  one  of  its  curious  little  naiTow  steamers, 
and  without  landing  but  for  a  few  moments  the  whole  day,  we 
swept  past  several  ancient  towns,  frowning  castles,  and  impos- 
ing chateaux.  The  river,  though  shallow,  was  still  very  broad ; 
and  the  recent  rains  having  increased  its  ordinary  rapid  current 
and  partially  ovei-flowed  its  innumerable  low,  wooded  islands,  it 
really  seemed  quite  a  bold  stream.  It  is  much  more  direct  in 
its  course  than  the  Seine,  and  also  lacks  its  pleasing  variety  of 
scenery.  Yet  intersecting  what  is  termed  the  garden  of  France, 
the  vine-clad  slopes  and  sunny  prospects  upon  its  banks  remind 
you  that  you  are  in  the  cheeiy  confines  of  the  south.  Either 
the  change  of  air,  or  our  gallant  enthusiasm  in  our  pilgi-image 
to  the  souvenirs  of  Jeanne  d'Arc,  produced  a  most  happy 
effect  on  our  health  and  spirits,  enabling  us  to  do  ample  justice 
to  an  excellent  dinner.  It  was  a  perfect  cure.  And  then  the 
crowd  of  passengers  were  uniformly  so  courteous  and  communi- 
cative, that  the  day  passed  very  pleasantly.  The  physiognomy 
of  many  of  the  country  people  resembled  somewhat  that  of  the 
French  of  Lower  Canada. 

We  were  surprised  to  find  the  Loire  the  channel  of  so  much 
commerce.  Constantly  we  met  long  ranges  of  river  sloops, 
composed  of  six  or  seven  fastened  in  a  line,  each  cheerily  spread- 
ino-  its  broad  sail;  and  one  of  the  officers  informed  me,  that,  in- 


Chap.  VII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  47 

eluding  the  iron  "  Inexplosibles"  of  M.  Larochejaquelin,  there 
are  twenty-seven  steamboats  now  saiUng  upon  the  Loire. 

In  the  evening  we  landed  at  Tours,  the  ancient  capital  of 
Touraine.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  north  bank,  at  the 
point  where  the  great  road  from  Paris  to  Bordeaux  and  Ba- 
yonne  crosses  the  river  on  a  very  fine  bridge.  Before  the  revo- 
cation of  the  edict  of  Nantes  it  was  the  seat  of  extensive  manu- 
factures of  silk,  and  contained  some  eighty  thousand  inhabitants  ; 
but  in  common  with  Oi'leans,  Saumur,  and  many  other  places 
in  this  region,  it  suffered  severely  from  the  banishment  of  the 
industrious  Protestants,  and  contains  at  present  but  little  over 
one  third  of  its  former  population.  Sauntering  up  one  of  the 
back  streets,  we  succeeded  in  finding  an  ancient  dwelling,  with 
the  front  ornamented  with  festoons  of  ropes,  and  here  and  there 
an  ominous  knot,  carved  in  stone,  as  if  in  cruel  mockery.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  the  residence  of  Tristan  I'Ermite,  the  favor- 
ite executioner  that  ministered  so  fearfully  to  the  tyranny  of 
Louis  XI. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  antiquities  of  the  city  are  two 
lofty  ruined  towers,  the  sole  remains  of  a  vast  cathedral  destroyed 
at  the  Revolution  :  one  named  the  Tower  of  Charlemagne,  from 
its  being  the  tomb  of  his  wife — and  the  other  that  of  St.  Martin, 
the  first  bishop  of  Tours,  and  founder  of  the  edifice.  This  cel- 
ebrated personage  flourished  in  the  fourth  century,  and  is  term- 
ed the  second  Apostle  of  the  Gauls.  He  took  a  noble  stand 
against  the  shedding  of  blood  for  religious  opinions.  His  shrine 
became  the  Delphi  of  the  dark  ages,  and  part  of  his  dress  was 
borne  in  battle,  centuries  after,  as  a  sacred  standard. 

By  a  section  of  tlie  Orleans  and  Bordeaux  railway  just  fin- 
ished, we  traversed  a  level  country,  and  arrived  next  day  at  the 
little  town  of  Amboise.  The  ledge  of  soft  rock  here  forming 
the  banks  of  the  Loire  is  perforated  in  many  places  for  dwell- 
ings, and  the  smoke  of  these,  thus  terraced  irrecrularly  one  above 
another,  and  the  sight  of  the  inhabitants  scrambling  about,  or 


48  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VII. 

peeping  out  of  doors  and  windows  in  the  face  of  the  rock,  seem 
really  novel.  Not  far  from  the  town  there  is  quite  a  subteiTa- 
nean  village.  The  Turones  are  mentioned  among  those  who 
confederated  under  Vercingetorix  against  Julius  Caesar ;  and 
there  are  slight  remains  in  Amboise  said  to  mark  the  place 
where  he  once  encamped,  and  some  singular  walled  excavations 
in  the  rock,  known  as  Les  Crreniers  de  Ccesar,  are  pointed  out  as 
his  granaries  or  storehouses.  Perched  upon  a  lofty  rock  on  the 
south  bank,  in  a  situation  which  in  feudal  times  must  have  been 
nearly  impregnable,  is  the  famed  castle. 

Here  the  suspicious  Louis  XI.  fearing  that  his  son,  afterward 
Charles  VIII.,  might  be  spoiled  at  court,  sent  him,  it  is  said,  to 
amuse  himself  in  guarding  poultry,  with  directions  that  he 
should  be  taught  but  one  sentence  of  Latin  :  Qui  nescit  dissimu- 
lare  nescit  regnare  ;  and  surely  if  dissimulation  was  the  secret 
of  governing,  the  reign  of  the  crafty  father  was  a  capital  lesson. 
Amboise  is  noted  as  the  scene  of  the  most  sanguinary  deeds  of 
persecution,  if  we  except  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  re- 
corded in  French  history. 

The  streets  streamed  with  Protestant  blood  ;  and  when  the 
executioners  gi*ew  too  weary,  the  rest  of  the  victims,  amounting 
to  some  twelve  hundred  in  all,  were  drowned  in  the  Loire. 
The  castle  was  decorated  with  the  hanging  bodies  till  the  offen- 
sive odor  obliged  the  court  to  leave.  Such  was  the  fearful  spirit 
of  the  times,  that,  of  all  the  ladies  about  the  king,  including  his 
mother  and  his  youthful  consort,  the  unfortunate  Mary  Stuart, 
the  Duchess  of  Guise  alone  manifested  pity,  and,  with  pro- 
phetic forebodings,  exclaimed,  "  Alas  !  what  a  storm  of  hatred 
and  blood  has  accumulated  on  the  heads  of  my  children  !" 
Never  was  the  declaration  of  holy  writ,  that  the  violence  of  the 
wicked  shall  return  upon  their  own  heads,  more  signally  veri- 
fied. Nearly  all  who  had  any  hand  in  the  bloody  deeds  of  this 
dark  period  perished  miserably  in  the  long  series  of  civil  wars 
and  assassinations  that  followed. 


Chap.  VIIL]  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROPE.  49 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

Escape  from  a  Pastoral — Slieplierdesses — Vineyartls — Chateau  of  Chenonceau 
— Blois — Salle  des  Etats-Genereaux f  oiitaiublcau — Rctuni. 

We  had  stolen  the  freshest  breath  of  the  morning.  The 
white  sails  upon  the  Loire,  just  illuminated  by  the  rising  sun, 
peeving  over  its  rocky  bank,  were  gliding  by  as  merrily  as  ever. 
The  birds  were  holding  a  jubilee.  As  we  turned  rapidly  round 
the  Castle  hill,  the  prosjject  of  fields  and  vineyards  stretched  out 
before  us  in  joyous  loveliness.  We,  too,  caught  the  spirit  of 
gladness.  Cabins  and  cars  were  things  of  the  past;  and  the 
genius  of  Watt  and  Fulton  no  longer  constrained  us.  Luckily 
for  our  friends,  we  had  not  conveniences  for  inflicting  upon  them 
any  original  poetry,  in  a  small  way.  My  learned  companion, 
who  had  been  so  improvident  as  to  expend  the  first  lines  of  the 
Bucolics  on  a  previous  shadowy  occasion,  was  either  modest  or 
forgetful,  and  our  fit  of  enthusiasm  ended  in  an  invasion  of  the 
peaceful  plains  of  the  south. 

For  a  change  we  were  curious  to  learn  something  of  the  peas- 
antry, by  visiting  some  of  tlic  more  retired  places.  We  had  be- 
come interested  too,  in  certain  fairy  talcs  of  a  line  old  chateau, 
situated  in  a  secluded,  romantic  spot,  a  few  miles  distant,  said 
to  be  the  finest  specimen  of  the  khid  in  France,  with  all  its 
unique  embellishments,  and  rich  store  of  antiquities,  as  carefully 
preserved  as  if  it  had  been  buried  a  few  ages  under  the  lava  of 
a  second  Ilerculaneum. 

The  country  through  which  wc  passed  presented  a  slightly 
varied  surface,  with  small  furnihouscs,  rather  thinly  scattered 
here  and  there.  AG^ricullurc  appeared  to  be  in  a  backward 
state,  compared  with  that  of  other  sections,  and  the  ground  was 

C 


50  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VIII. 

tilled  with  a  rude  wheel-plough.  As  in  other  portions  of  France, 
the  women  seemed  to  be  very  commonly  employed  in  out-door 
labor.  Fields  of  rye  and  other  grain  were  every  where  unhedg- 
ed and  unfenced,  and  about  their  edges,  and  the  roadsides, 
females  were  frequently  seen,  each  with  a  rope  attached  to  a 
refractory  beast  or  two,  over  which  they  thus  watched  while 
grazing.  The  whole  domestic  animal  kingdom  seemed  to  be 
under  the  protection  of  these  gentle  attendants,  whose  charac- 
teristic constancy  through  storm  and  sunshine,  with  scarcely  any 
covering  to  their  heads,  had  sacrificed  their  original  fairness.  I 
confess  there  is  something  revolting  in  this  condemnation  of 
women  to  constant  field  servitude. 

By  far  the  most  care  seemed  bestowed  upon  the  cultivation 
of  the  great  staple  production  of  this  region — the  grape.  This, 
perhaps,  is  stimulated  by  the  rivalry  arising  from  the  circum- 
stance that  the  wine  of  each  locality,  and  often  of  each  separate 
establishment,  has  an  individual  character,  known  in  the  market, 
by  which,  in  proportion  to  its  quality,  the  price  is  regulated.  All 
the  southern  exposures  were  covered  with  vineyards.  The 
vines  are  planted  about  two  feet  apart,  and  trimmed  annually  to 
within  a  few  inches  of  the  ground.  Early  in  the  spring  shoots 
put  forth,  the  earth  between  is  kept  fresh  and  clean,  and  occa- 
sionally dug  over,  somewhat  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  Indian  corn.  Small  sticks,  two  or  three  feet  high,  are 
placed  as  a  support  to  each  vine.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the 
shoots  were  about  the  height  of  a  large  currant-bush. 

We  passed  in  sight  of  Chauteloup,  formerly  the  residence  of 
Count  Chaptal,  the  distinguished  chemist  and  minister  of  Bo- 
naparte, and  the  place  where  was  established  the  first  manufac- 
tory of  sugar  from  the  beet-root. 

At  length  we  wound  through  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  River 
Cher,  entered  the  little,  quiet  village  of  Chenonceau,  and  up  a 
long  avenue  of  trees  ;  and  partly  upon  arches,  over  the  very  bed 
of  the  river,  stood  the  famous  chateau.     As  you  approach  its 


Chap.  VIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  51 


coquettish  defenses  of  moat  and  round  tower,  guarding  the  en- 
chanting grounds  in  front,  the  showy  facade  and  pretty  extin- 
guisher-turrets, and  the  general  profusion  of  ornament  are  suf- 
ficient to  inform  you  at  once,  that  it  has  been  arrayed  with 
characteristic  skill  in  decoration  by  some  lady  architect — some 
designing  creature,  determined  on  making  the  most  of  its 
charms.  It  was  commenced  by  Francis  I.,  and  afterward  given 
by  his  son  Henry  11.  to  the  celebrated  Diana  of  Poitiers,  who 
completed  it  in  its  present  rich  style.  Through  the  uniform 
courtesy  of  the  pioprietor,  the  Count  de  Villcncuve,  to  strangers, 
we  were  kindly  shown  tlu'ough  the  whole  premises.  The  old 
armor  lining  the  whole  of  the  hall,  the  curtains  at  the  doors,  the 
tapestry  covering  the  walls,  the  rich  blue  ceiling,  studded  with 
stars,  the  curiously-ornamented  fireplaces  and  chimneypieces, 
the  singular  specimens  of  glass  and  china,  the  anti(]ue  chairs, 
beds,  and  cabinets — all  of  the  most  costly  description  of  the 
time  were  in  such  perfect  order  that  it  seemed  almost  incred- 
ible that  they  had  occupied  their  places  for  three  hundred 
years. 

By  a  singular  coincidence,  the  place  had  been  inhabited  by  a 
succession  of  characters,  among  the  most  remarkable  that  had 
flourished  from  the  time  of  its  first  mistress  to  that  of  its  late  oc- 
cupant, the  accomplished  and  virtuous  Madame  Dupin.  Every 
step  presented  some  interesting  memorial.  You  inspected  the 
favorite  goblet  of  the  pleasure-loving  Francis  T.,  and  then  you 
saw  the  mingled  initials  of  Henry  and  Diana  upon  some  an- 
cient piece  of  furniture,  or  you  stood  by  the  bed  of  Catherine  de 
Medicis,  and  sui-\'eyed  her  sleeping-apartment  just  as  she  had 
left  it;  you  beheld  your  own  respectable  visage  in  Mary  queen 
of  Scots'  mirror,  or  you  tried  to  decipher  the  quaint  French 
of  an  original  letter  of  Henry  IV.;  you  pensively  moralized  on 
the  fleeting  nature  of  eaithly  beauty  as  you  gazed  on  the  sweet 
faces  of  Agnes  Sorel  and  Gabrielle  d'Estrees ;  or,  more  sadly 
Btill,  you  lingered  in  tlie  chamber  of  the  widow  of  Henry  III., 


5^  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VIII. 


with  its  walls  still  covered  with  black  cloth,  and  the  very  win- 
dows shrouded  with  the  drapery  of  death.  To  this  delightful 
retreat  the  hospitality  of  Madame  Dupin  often  drew  many  of 
the  leading  literary  characters  of  the  last  century.  Notwith- 
standing its  numerous  relics  of  royalty,  such  was  the  respect 
entertained  in  the  neighborhood  for  its  amiable  mistress,  then  ad- 
vanced in  years,  that,  as  one  of  the  very  few  instances  of  the 
kind,  it  remained  untouched  during  the  ravages  of  the  French 
Revolution. 

Returning  to  the  village,  we  strolled  into  the  countr}^  dis- 
coursed with  several  of  the  peasantry,  and  visited  their  rustic, 
but  comfortable  dwellings  to  make  inquiries.  We  were  re- 
ceived in  the  most  hospitable  manner.  One  of  their  first  ques- 
tions was,  whether  we  had  eaten  ;  and  my  friend,  having  ac- 
cepted a  draught  of  wine,  which  was  voluntarily  proffered  us, 
the  offer  of  remuneration  was  promptly  refused.  You  find  the 
characteristic  national  politeness  prevailing  even  among  the 
uneducated  poor.  Scarcely  did  we  meet  a  single  laborer  in 
his  blouse,  who  did  not,  as  if  it  were  a  habit,  give  us  a  re- 
spectful salutation ;  and  some  of  them  made  good-natured  in- 
quiries, as  to  whether  we  were  pleased  with  the  country,  and 
other  matters.  One  good  old  lady,  apparently  near  eighty, 
whose  faculties  had  evidently  failed,  and  who  had,  probably,  not 
seen  the  last  edition  of  Malte-Brun,  upon  learning  that  we  were 
Americans,  quite  innocently  tried  our  patriotism  by  naively  in- 
quiring where  x^merica  was  situated.  They  seem  to  be  a  cheer- 
ful and  industrious  race.  We  learned  that  the  laborers  about 
the  vineyards  and  fields  ordinarily  received  from  thirty  to  forty 
cents  per  day.  As  in  all  countries,  the  rural  population  seemed 
much  more  estimable  than  the  masses  in  large  cities. 

Returning  at  length  to  Amboise,  we  arrived  by  railroad,  late 
in  the  evening,  at  Blois.  We  rose  very  early  next  morning,  sal- 
lied out  to  reconnoitre  the  town,  and  found  it  pleasantly  situa- 
ted in  a  kind  of  partial  amphitheatre  of  eminences,  commanding 


Chap.  VIIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  53 

a  fine  view  of  the  Loire.  Bending  our  steps  to  its  indifferent 
cathedral,  we  were  surprised  to  find  the  door  open.  It  was 
not  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  yet  there  was  quite  a 
throng  of  worshipers,  mostly  aged  females ;  and  some,  so  in- 
firm as  apparently  to  need  assistance,  had  faltered  to  the  place, 
which  they  doubtless  regarded  as  particularly  holy  and  privi- 
leged, to  perform  their  private  devotions.  There  was  some- 
thing affecting  in  those  forms,  kneeling  like  statues  upon  the 
marble  floor — those  stifled  sobs  and  upturned  eyes.  Erring,  as 
we  may  honestly  believe  them  to  be,  in  the  theory  of  religion, 
who  can  say  but  that  many  of  these  humble  and  faithful  ones 
shall,  by  a  feebler  light,  succeed  in  finding  their  way  to  a 
brighter  land  ] 

Ascending  a  height  on  the  west  side  of  the  town,  we  suc- 
ceeded, after  some  difficulty,  in  gaining  admission  to  the  castle, 
then  undergoing  thorough  reparation.  It  will  be  recollected 
that  Blois  was  very  early  a  place  of  considerable  importance, 
and  that  it  was  frequently  the  place  of  the  sittings  of  the  States- 
General,  the  rude  legjislature  of  former  davs.  We  visited  the 
hall  where  they  met  in  the  north  part  of  the  castle.  Though 
they  deliberated  together,  yet  there  were  still  the  remains  of 
the  division  lines,  or  railings  separating  the  three  different  or- 
ders. The  precedence  was  given  to  the  clergy,  then  came  the 
nobility,  and  last  and  least  the  tiers  etat,  or  representatives  of 
the  people. 

It  was  to  meet  this  body  that  the  Guises  were  drawn  from 
their  stronghold  in  Paris,  to  be  assassinated  by  the  orders  of 
Henry  III.,  whose  weakness  they  had  imprudently  despised. 
He  had  never  forgiven  the  treacherous  day  of  the  barricades. 
Though  he  had  formerly  joined  them  in  persecuting  the  Prot- 
estants, and,  before  his  accession  to  the  throne,  liad  even  com- 
manded at  the  siege  of  Rochelle,  yet,  finding  the  League  to  bo 
continually  fomenting  civil  wais  and  commotions,  and  discover- 
ing their  treasonable  plot  to  force  him  to  become  a  monk,  at 


51  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  VIII. 

the  instigation  of  the  vindictive  queen- mother,  he  sought  to 
break  up  this  dangerous  combination,  and  rid  himself  of  its 
powerful  chiefs  by  a  fearful  crime,  which  was  soon  after 
retaliated  on  himself.  We  were  shown  various  apartments, 
associated  with  the  details  of  this  dark  deed,  and  we  traversed 
the  staircase  by  which  the  king  descended  to  distribute,  with  his 
own  hands,  the  daggers  to  the  forty-five  gentlemen  in  waiting, 
who  were  to  encounter  the  mighty  Henri  le  Balafre.  The 
Duke  of  Guise  was  summoned  by  a  royal  page  from  the  legis- 
lative hall  below  to  attend  the  king  in  his  cabinet,  and  as  he 
turned  aside  the  tapestry  at  the  door  he  received  the  first  dag- 
ger. Struggling  with  prodigious  force,  he  fought  his  way  nearly 
the  length  of  the  room,  when  he  fell,  pierced  with  numerous 
wounds,  exclaiming,  *'  My  God,  have  mercy  !"  A  messenger, 
sent  by  one  of  his  friends,  conveying  a  slip  of  paper,  wrapped 
in  a  handkerchief,  with  the  words,  *'  Save  yourself,  or  you  are 
dead  !"  arrived  too  late.  Next  day,  his  brother,  the  cardinal, 
was  put  to  death,  and  the  clothes  and  bodies  of  both  were 
burned  in  a  fireplace  in  the  upper  part  of  the  castle,  and  their 
ashes  thrown  into  the  Loire,  to  prevent  their  friends  from  pre- 
serving them  as  relics. 

As  another  proof  of  the  fearful  superstition  of  the  age,  it  may 
be  mentioned,  that,  during  the  progress  of  the  murder,  prayers 
were  offered  for  its  success  in  the  chapel  in  the  eastern  wing. 
A  tower,  looking  over  the  river,  is  pointed  out  as  the  place 
where  the  cruel  and  intriguing  Catherine  de  Medicis  used  to 
retire,  with  her  astrologer,  to  consult  the  stars. 

Having  taken  our  passage  in  the  cars  homeward,  we  had 
fleeting  visions  of  ancient  villages,  and  vineyards,  fields,  farm- 
houses, and  rows  of  poplars,  chasing  each  other  through  the 
level  country,  and  the  north  bank  of  the  Loire  to  Orleans,  and 
then  partly  by  our  former  route,  in  different  ways,  managed  to 
make  up  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  when  night  found  us 
at  the  little  hamlet  of  Chailly,  situated  some  forty  miles  from 


Chap.  VIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  55 

Paris,  upon  the  gieut  road  to  Lyons,  and  on  the  edge  of  the 
vast  forest  of  Fontainbleau.  Next  morning  we  were  penetrat- 
ing its  intricate  labyrinths  and  its  barren  gorges,  climbing  the 
sandstone  rocks  upon  its  bald  hills,  resting  in  its  deep,  cool 
shades  winding  along  its  delicious  vales,  and  its  murmuring 
streams.  For  rich  variety  in  forest  scenery  it  is,  perhaps,  unsur- 
passed in  the  world. 

At  length  we  entered  the  quiet  town  of  Fontainbleau,  and 
duly  presented  ourselves  at  the  palace.  It  was  commenced  by 
Louis  VIL  as  early  as  the  twelfth  century  ;  and,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, it  has  been  a  favorite  with  his  successors.  It  is,  per- 
haj)s,  too  well  known  to  bear  an  elaborate  description.  Its 
gorgeously-fuiTiished  halls  called  up  strange  reminiscences  of 
festal  joy,  pining  sorrow,  fearful  crime,  and  blasted  ambition. 
There  was  the  marriage-chamber  of  Louis  XV^.  and  the  late 
Duke  of  Orlefins;  the  hall  where  Francis  I.  had  feasted  Charles 
V.  ;  the  apartment  ornamented  by  the  fair  hands  of  Marie  An- 
toinette, and  the  window-bais,  curiously  wrought  by  Louis 
XVI.,  in  their  happier  days;  the  place  where  the  revengeful 
Christina  of  Sweden  assassinated  her  chamberlain  ;  the  rooms 
occupied  by  Pope  Pius  VII.  as  the  prisoner  of  Xapoleon  ;  there, 
too,  were  the  favorite  apartments  of  the  emperor  himself,  and  the 
impeiial  throne,  the  price  of  so  much  blood  and  treasure,  still 
undisturbed  ;  and  there,  too,  inclosed  in  a  glass  case,  was  a 
little  table  upon  which  he  signed  his  abdication.  In  the  green 
court-yard  in  front  took  place  the  scene  of  his  celebrated  adieu 
to  his  faithful  guard. 

Taking  the  diligence  in  the  evening,  we  returned  through  a 
rich,  beautiful  country  to  Paris. 


50  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IX, 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  deep  Subject — The  Abattoirs — Hotel  des  Invalides — Chamber  of  Deputies 
— M.  Lamartine — Chamber  of  Peers — Pere  la  Chaise. 

I  NEVER  expect  to  see  the  veritable  fountain  of  Helicon,  but 
(I  confess  it  modestly)  I  have  just  had  a  warm  drink  from  the 
Artesian  Well  of  Grenelle.  If  in  attempting  to  fathom  so  deep 
a  subject,  like  the  schoolmaster  in  the  Deserted  Village,  I  should 
necessarily  be  implicated  in 

"Words  of  learned  length,  and  thundering  sound," 

I  hope  the  reader  v/ill  not  ascribe  it  to  any  vanity  for  display, 
but  charitably  attribute  it  to  an  overdose  of  the  scientific  waters. 
Paris  is  situated  over  what  is  termed  a  geological  basin,  or 
vast  subterranean  valley  of  one  solid  stratum,  filled  up  to  the 
level  of  its  circumference  with  several  layers  of  various  consist- 
ence, arranged  something  like  what  is  technically  termed  a  nest 
of  earthen  vessels,  the  smaller  being  contained  in  the  larger,  as 
is  frequently  the  case  in  secondary  and  tertiary  formations. 
Supposing  that,  lining  the  bottom  of  this  concavity  from  the 
centre  up  to  the  veiy  brim,  there  is  a  second  stratum  impervious 
to  water,  while  intervening  between  these  two  solid  formations 
there  is  a  layer  of  sand  or  porous  substance  readily  conducting 
that  fluid,  which  may  be  freely  supplied  from  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  at  the  edges,  it  is  evident  that  if  a  hole  be  bored  from 
above,  near  the  centre,  so  as  to  pierce  the  other  hard  stratum, 
and  a  tube  be  inserted,  that  the  water  will  rise  to  the  level 
of  its  source,  which  may  possibly  be  considerably  above  the 
spot  at  the  surface  where  the  opening  is  made,  and  it  will  thus 
flow  in  a  constant  stream.  It  is  on  this  principle,  doubtless 
familiar  to  most  readers,  that  Artesian  wells  are  constructed. 


Chap.  IX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  57 

The  inunicipal  council  of  Paris,  finding  that  a  scarcity  of  water 
existed  in  that  direction,  upon  the  recommendation  of  compe- 
tent geologists,  authorized,  in  1832,  the  experiment  of  sinking 
one  of  these  -vvells  in  the  Abaltoire  de  Grenelle.  M.  Mulot,  to 
whom  the  contract  was  at  length  given,  commenced  boring  on 
the  30th  of  November,  1833,  and  in  two  years  succeeded  in 
penetrating  to  the  specified  depth  of  four  hundred  metres,  with- 
out obtaining  the  desired  result.  At  the  earnest  representations 
of  M.  Arago,  who  with  wonderful  accuracy  had  previously  pre- 
dicted that  it  would  be  necessary  to  descend  several  hundred 
feet  farther,  an  additional  grant  was  obtained,  and  operations 
were  continued.  The  most  discouraGring:  accidents  occurred, 
requiring  months  for  their  repair — the  municipality  grew  dis- 
couraged and  stopped  the  funds — but,  at  the  risk  of  ruin,  M. 
Mulot  courageously  involved  his  own  fortune,  when  at  last,  after 
a  period  of  seven  years  from  the  commencement,  and  from  a 
depth  of  eighteen  hundred  feet,  a  full  stream  gushed  violently 
forth. 

The  water  is  confined  in  a  tube  of  galvanized  iron  supported 
by  scaffolding,  and  rises  more  than  a  hundred  feet  from  the 
ground.  At  this  height  the  rate  of  discharge  is  three  hundred 
gallons  per  minute,  and  the  force  is  calculated  to  be  sufficient 
to  supply  more  than  twice  that  quantity  at  the  surface.  Upon 
placing  my  car  upon  the  tube  there  was  a  vibratory  whizzing 
sensation,  from  the  rapid  motion  of  the  fluid  within.  The 
water,  of  which  I  before  intimated  I  had  the  benefit  of  drink- 
ing, is  extremely  pure  and  soft,  and  comes  up  at  the  tempera- 
ture of  about  eighty-four  degrees  of  Fahrenheit,  or  a  little 
less  than  blood-heat. 

Several  of  these  wells  now  exist  in  France  :  some  for  the 
purposes  of  ordinaiy  consumption,  and  othei-s  for  inigation, 
and  to  move  machinery.  Lately,  M.  Mulot  has  made  a  propo- 
sition to  government  to  sink  one  in  the  Ciardcn  of  Plants,  to  a 
depth  so  great  that  the  water  shall  be  sufiiciently  waim  to  heat 


58  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IX. 

the  greenhouses.     It  has  even  been  proposed  to  warm  some 
of  the  churches  by  this  means. 

The  Abattoh'e,  or  public  slaughter-house,  in  the  court-yard 
of  which  the  well  at  Grenelle  is  situated,  is  itself  a  great  curi- 
osity. All  the  meat  for  the  consumption  of  Paris  is  slaughtered 
at  these  immense  establishments,  of  which  there  are  several  in 
different  directions  outside  the  barriers.  Their  great  extent, 
the  amount  of  business  done,  the  neatness  and  order  prevailing, 
their  conveniences  for  the  minutest  details  of  the  business,  and 
the  care  of  the  resident  inspectors  in  preventing  the  supply  of 
an  unhealthy  or  inferior  article,  are  indeed  admirable. 

Not  far  from  this,  on  a  slightly-elevated  position  a  little  back 
from  the  Seine,  is  the  famous  Hotel  des  Invalides.  This  ma- 
jestic pile,  with  its  fine  dome,  like  many  other  magnificent  things 
in  France,  is  a  monument  of  the  Augustan  age  of  Louis  XIV. 
Soldiers  and  officers,  from  the  marshal  of  France  downward, 
who  have  actually  been  disabled  by  their  wounds,  or  who  have 
been  thirty  years  in  the  service,  are  here  comfortably,  and  even 
luxuriously  maintained.  The  number  of  inmates  is  at  present 
about  three  thousand.  It  is  really  an  interesting  sight,  some 
sunny  day,  to  watch  these  veterans  quietly  hobbling  about,  or 
resting  contentedly  under  the  trees  in  the  pleasure-ground, 
stretching  down  to  the  river,  or  going  through  the  duty  of 
mounting  guard  at  their  own  hotel,  or  attending  to  some  of  the 
lighter  martial  exercises  of  their  youth,  as  cheerfully  as  if  they 
were  flattered  with  the  idea  that  they  were  still  soldiers.  As  I 
found  by  experiment,  their  eyes  still  brighten  at  the  mention  of 
Marengo,  Jena,  or  Austerlitz.  Some  of  them  amuse  themselves 
in  constructing  models  representing  the  ascent  of  St.  Beraard, 
and  of  the  battles  and  sieges  in  which  they  have  been  dis- 
tinguished. Every  thing  around  them  reminds  them  of  the 
eventful  past.  The  hotel  is  defended  by  foreign  brass  can- 
non, the  fruit  of  their  former  bravery.  The  different  courts 
and  departments   are  named    after  their   most  famous  victo- 


Ckap.  IX]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  59 

ries.  The  chapel  is  hung  with  captured  flags  and  trophies, 
and  beneath  he  the  remains  of  several  of  their  commanders ; 
in  front  is  a  colossal  statue  of  Napoleon,  the  model  of  that 
upon  the  column  in  the  Place  Vendome,  and  in  the  rear, 
at  present  inaccessible,  are  the  remains  of  their  idolized  Em- 
peror, over  which  there  is  now  being  erected  a  fitting  mauso- 
leum. 

As  you  walk  down  the  esplanade  to  the  river,  and  turn  to  the 
right,  you  are  suddenly  pi-esented  with  a  view  of  the  front  of 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  ornamented  with  statues,  bas-reliefs, 
and  a  fine  row  of  Corinthian  columns.  Having  been  politely 
furnished  with  a  ticket  at  the  American  minister's,  I  gladly 
availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  of  visiting  the  cham.ber  while 
in  session.  The  legislative  hall  is  semicircular,  with  the  richly- 
furnished  seats  of  the  members  rising  in  fi'ont  of  the  president 
in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre.  It  is  decorated  with  marble 
figures  of  Order,  Liberty,  and  several  cardinal  state  virtues,  and 
a  fine  large  painting  representing  Louis  Philippe  swearing  to 
the  Charter  on  the  9th  of  August,  1830,  in  the  presence  of  La 
Fayette,  Casimir  Perier,  Lafitte,  Benjamin  Constant,  and  a 
crowd  of  the  principal  actors  of  the  Revolution  of  July.  The 
galleries,  including  the  boxes  for  the  royal  family,  the  corps 
diplomatique,  and  the  reporters,  are  estimated  to  accommodate 
some  seven  hundred  spectators.  The  first  row  of  seats  below 
are  for  the  niinistcrs.  Immediately  in  front  of  the  president's 
chair  is  a  desk,  or  tribune,  as  it  is  termed,  from  which  the  more 
elaborate  addresses  are  made.  By  the  less  practiced  speakers 
these  are  often  read  from  manuscri])t.  I  was  agreeably  disap- 
pointed, however,  to  find  much  more  animation  and  freedom 
than  from  previous  accounts  I  had  exjiected  ;  and  there  were 
frequently  replies  and  extemporaneous  remarks  of  considerable 
length  from  the  deputies  in  their  places.  The  subjects  of  dis- 
cussion were  a  commercial  question  and  an  appropriation  for 
the   encouragement  of  agriculture.     Among  others,  we  were 


60  LOITEPJNGS  L\  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IX. 

favored  with  a  speech  from  the  distinguished  poet  Lamavtine. 
He  is  tall,  slender,  and  dignified  in  his  person,  with  slightly- 
aquiline  features,  and  speaks  with  much  clearness  and  elo- 
quence. Once  or  twice  the  debate  grew  warm,  slight  confusion 
ensued,  and  the  president  called  them  to  order.  From  what  I 
have  been  enabled  to  gather  from  different  sources,  M.  Berryer, 
the  leader  of  the  legitimists,  or  friends  of  the  dethroned  family, 
is  generally  regarded  as  carrying  away  the  palm  for  fascinating 
eloquence;  and  yet  its  practical  effect  is  perhaps  inferior  to  the 
clear,  cutting  logic,  and  feaj'less  rejoinders  of  M.  Guizot,  the 
wily  strategy  and  well-prepared  fulminations  of  the  leader  of 
the  opposition,  M.  Thiers,  or  the  valiant  efforts  of  his  ally,  Odil- 
lon  Barrot.  M.  Arago,  the  celebrated  astronomer,  is  associated 
with  the  twa  latter  in  the  opposition,  and  is  so  liberal  in  his 
politics  as  to  be  regarded  as  decidedly  republican.  Each  of  the 
great  parties,  and  indeed,  to  a  certain  extent,  each  leader,  have 
their  accredited  organs  out  of  doors.  M.  Guizot  and  the  Con- 
servatives are  represented  by  the  Journal  des  Debats  and  the 
Presse;  M.  Thiers  and  the  moderate  opposition,  by  the  Con- 
stitutionnel ;  the  more  ardent  Liberals,  by  the  Siecle ;  the  Re- 
publicans by  the  National ;  and  the  Legitimists,  by  the  Gazette 
de  France  and  the  Quotidienne.  The  deputies,  459  in  num- 
ber, are  elected  every  five  years,  by  a  carefully-registered  list 
of  voters,  paying  200  francs  in  annual  taxes.  The  qualification 
was  reduced  one  third,  and  other  beneficial  changes  were  efiect- 
ed  at  the  Revolution  of  1830.  In  a  population  of  34,000,000 
there  are  150,000  voters.  To  be  eligible  for  a  deputy,  the  can- 
didate must  be  thirty  years  of  age,  and  pay  annually  500  francs 
in  taxes.  About  200  of  their  number  hold  offices  of  honor  or 
emolument  under  government.  The  hall  of  the  Chamber  of 
Peers,  in  the  Palace  of  the  Luxembourg,  which  I  afterwards 
visited,  is  an-anged  in  much  the  same  manner  as  that  of  the 
deputies,  and  presents  a  similar  appearance,  except  that  the 
members,  wlien  in  session,  wear  a  richly-embroidered  uniform, 


CHAr.  IX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  61 

and  from  their  being  generally  persons  advanced  in  life,  or  some 
other  circumstance,  there  is  more  quiet  and  imposing  dignity  in 
jheir  deliberations.  Peerage  in  France  is  no  longer  hereditary, 
but  they  are  nominated  for  life  by  the  king.  In  looking  over  the 
list  of  some  300  in  all,  I  was  pleased  to  see,  as  a  just  tribute  to 
science,  associated  with  the  leading  ancient  nobility,  and  the 
recent  acquisitions  of  the  marshals  and  ministers  of  Napoleon, 
the  names  of  Gay  Lussac,  Villemain,  Cousin,  and  some  others 
engaged  in  literary  toils,  or  still  holding  professorships. 

There  was  no  place  in  Paris  that  so  deeply  impressed  me 
as  Pere  la  Chaise.  It  was  not  so  much  from  the  beauty  of  the 
grounds,  the  pleasantness  of  the  hills  and  valleys,  or  the  tasteful 
arrangement  of  the  trees,  for  in  these,  perhaps,  from  having  my 
expectations  too  highly  excited,  I  was  somewhat  disappointed  ; 
and  though  the  better  class  of  tombs  are  doubtless  more  expen- 
sively and  elaborately  finished,  and  more  carefully  kept,  yet  at 
the  risk  of  being  set  down  as  utterly  heterodox  in  taste,  I  frank- 
ly confess  that  in  diversified  scenery  and  general  natural  embel- 
lishments, I  think  it  surpassed  by  more  than  one  of  the  lovely 
cemeteries  of  our  own  country.  But  my  visits  have  always 
happened  to  be  alone,  and  when  I  was  at  leisure  to  indulge 
in  the  pensive  reveries  natural  to  the  resting-place  of  so  many 
of  the  illustrious  dead.  At  your  first  approach  you  are  struck 
with  the  inscriptions  upon  the  entrance.  Little  more  than  a 
half  a  century  has  passed  since  the  atheistical  frenzy  of  the 
Revolution,  as  if  to  wither  the  last  hope  of  the  afilictcd,  traced 
upon  the  portals  to  the  burial  places  of  Paris,  "Death  is  an 
eternal  sleep,"  and  now,  as  an  indication  of  a  happy  change  in  tlie 
world  without,  you  read,  as  you  pass  the  barrier  of  this  famed 
inclosure,  the  more  reasonable  and  sublime  teachings  of  Chris- 
tianity, "  Their  hope  is  full  of  immortality,"  "  Whosoever  believ- 
eth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  It  is  a  fit- 
ting reproof  to  the  madness  of  skepticism  that  this  assurance  of 
a  life  beyond  the  grave,  this  release  of  the  noblest  powere  from 


62  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  IX. 

the  bitter  sentence  of  annihilation,  should  be  associated  with  the 
spot  where  lie  the  earthly  remains  of  La  Place,  Monge,  and  some 
of  the  mightiest  spirits  of  the  past  century. 

There  is  something  striking  and  peculiar  in  the  construction 
of  a  large  number  of  the  Catholic  tombs.  Instead  of  monu- 
ments or  stones,  there  is  erected  over  each  family  vault  a  little 
chapel  some  three  or  four  feet  wide,  six  or  eight  feet  in  length 
and  height,  and  surmounted  by  a  cross.  It  has  a  neatly-grated 
door  in  front,  and  a  little  stained-glass  window  in  the  rear,  so 
that  you  readily  see  the  inscriptions,  busts,  wreaths  of  flowers, 
and  other  objects  within,  and  it  is  furnished  with  a  chair,  a 
prayer-book,  a  crucifix,  or  small  image  of  the  Virgin,  wax  can- 
dles, and  other  conveniences  for  their  forms  of  devotion  and 
intercession  for  the  deceased.  Upon  emerging  suddenly,  and 
without  intervening  space,  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  city 
of  the  living,  and  catching  a  first  view  of  these  little  funereal 
temples  scattered  thickly  every  where,  the  thought  irresistibly 
forces  itself  upon  you  that  you  are  traversing  a  city  of  the  dead. 
There  were  epitaphs  in  most  of  the  languages  of  Europe. 
Friends  and  foes  were  quietly  reposing  together.  Here,  not  far 
apart,  were  the  remains  of  Sir  Sidney  Smith  and  a  Spanish 
general  whose  name  was  associated  with  Wellington  in  the 
Peninsula,  and  a  few  yards  distant  was  the  plain  gray  stone, 
without  ornament  or  inscription,  which  I  should  have  passed  by 
without  a  tribute  had  not  some  one  recently,  and  apparently  by 
stealth,  with  a  paint  brush  rudely  written  upon  one  side,  "  Ney," 
and  upon  the  other  "  Bravest  of  the  brave ;"  and  in  another 
place  was  the  prouder  tomb  of  his  more  fortunate  companion, 
General  Lavalette,  and  his  heroic  wife,  with  the  scene  of  his 
escape  sculptured  upon  it,  representing  her  looking  from  the 
prison  as  in  female  apparel  he  is  passing  the  guard.  There, 
too,  are  the  monuments  of  Massena,  Suchet,  Macdonald,  St. 
Cyr,  and  many  of  the  marshals  of  Napoleon.  Perhaps  the 
most  imposing  are  those  of  General  Foy  and  Casimir  Perier. 


Chap.  X.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  63 

The  most  frequented  is  that  of  Abelard  and  Heloise.  As  I 
was  returning  from  one  of  my  visits,  I  noticed  a  gentle  girl  of 
about  thirteen  dressed  in  mourning,  placing,  with  emotion, 
a  wreath  upon  a  little  plain  stone,  which,  from  the  insciip- 
tion,  seemed  to  be  that  over  her  mother.  I  kept  quietly  at  a 
distance,  and,  to  avoid  disturbing  her,  pretended  to  be  looking 
another  way.  Who  that  had  ever  lost  such  a  friend  could  with- 
hold a  tear  with  that  lone  child  by  a  mother's  grave  ! 


CHAPTER  X. 

Narrative  Style — Illustrative   Facts — Garden  of  Plants — Scientific  Institu- 
tions— Life  in  a  Madhouse — Politics. 

The  writer  happens  from  early  instinct  to  be  a  great  admirer 
of  the  narrative  style,  in  preference  to  the  dry  descriptive.  His 
first  notion  of  "  beginning  in  the  world"  came  from  Robinson 
Crusoe,  and  some  of  his  first  ideas  of  morals  from  ^sop's 
Fables.  So  if  he  ever  becomes  too  circumstantial,  perhaps 
some  may  charitably  think  to  attribute  it  to  his  faulty  educa- 
tion. 

Those  very  fond  of  facts  may  excuse  an  anecdote  illustrative 
of  the  manner  of  teaching,  and  the  peculiar  facilities  of  some  of 
the  scientific  institutions  of  the  French  capital. 

One  fine  morning,  shortly  after  my  arrival,  I  was  gi'eeted  by 
what  seemed  to  be  the  apparition  of  a  very  dear  friend,  with 
whom,  from  an  early  age,  by  a  kind  of  happy  fatality,  in  a  man- 
ner really  quite  romantic,  I  had  been  thrown  several  times  into 
the  most  intimate  relations  of  social  and  student  life.  Shift  as 
I  might  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  every  year  or  two,  like  the 
vision  of  some  welcome  flving  Dutchman,  he  was  sure  to  cross 


64  LOITERINGS  L\  EUROPE.  [Chap.  X. 

my  track  ;  and  now  I  had  fancied  the  salt  sea  between  us,  yet  he 
was  here.  Yes,  it  surely  was  he  ;  there  was  his  usual  easy,  inde- 
pendent walk,  like  one  with  a  light  heart  and  a  clear  conscience 
— there  was  the  laughing  twinkle  of  his  eye — and  I  felt  a  thrill, 
as  by  an  electric  shock,  as  I  brought  to  my  aid  the  evidence  of 
touch,  and  found  my  hand  imprisoned  in  his  habitually  firm 
grasp.  In  a  strange  land  one  is  thankful  even  for  the  sight  of 
a  domestic  animal  from  home,  but  to  meet  a  long:-tried  friend  is 
bliss  indeed.  He  was  one  of  those  frank,  ardent,  high-minded 
companions,  to  whom  you  can  trust  your  whole  soul ;  and  his 
ready  fund  of  wit  or  sentiment,  as  occasion  required,  beguiled 
many  a  weary  hour.  So  we  formed  an  alliance  offensive  and 
defensive,  established  ourselves  under  the  same  roof  as  famil- 
iarly as  years  before,  and,  amid  the  hum  of  a  foreign  language, 
indulged  in  the  sweet  music  of  our  mother  tongue,  engaged 
in  kindred  pursuits,  shared  our  mutual  joys  and  sorrows,  and 
studied  each  other's  domestic  habits,  somewhat  after  the  amia- 
ble manner  of  the  Siamese  twins.  One  day,  upon  entering  his 
room,  I  found  pinned  against  the  wall  the  periscarp  of  a  plant, 
and  lying  upon  the  table  was  a  regularly-constructed,  fearful  work 
on  botany.  "  I  need  not  look  so  quizzical — I  must  go  with  him 
to  hear  Professor  Richard,  and  I,  too,  would  be  charmed."  I 
was  submissive.  Several  minutes  before  the  time  a  crowd  of 
the  more  youthful  followers  gathered  impatiently  before  the 
door.  When  it  was  opened  there  was  a  general  scamper  for 
the  front  seats,  and  in  a  few  moments  a  lecture-room  accommo- 
dating several  hundreds  was  comfortably  filled.  On  a  large 
black  board  was  the  synopsis  of  a  few  families  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom,  which  was  immediately  copied  into  all  the 
note-books.  V/ith  these  almost  every  one  seemed  provided. 
Spread  upon  a  table  some  sixteen  feet  in  length  was  a  pro- 
fusion of  roots,  stalks,  seeds,  and  bunches  of  flowers,  fresh  from 
the  botanical  garden,  arranged  in  order  as  the  subject  of  the 
coming  lecture.     In  a  few  moments,  a  tall,  dignified-looking 


Chap.  X.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  65 

personage,  with  a  pale,  intellectual  face,  and  his  coat  buttoned 
closely,  entered  with  a  lively  step,  and,  as  a  particular  favorite, 
was  received  with  a  general  cheer.  He  was  then  suffering 
from  ill  health,  which  subsequently  obliged  him  to  shorten  his 
course.  Yet  the  instant  the  first  word  escaped  his  lips,  after 
taking  his  seat,  his  countenance  brightened,  and  directly  he  was 
upon  his  feet,  dashing  from  one  end  of  the  table  to  the  other, 
sketching  diagrams,  or  brandishing  the  fi'agment  of  a  flower, 
and  eloquently — yes,  eloquently — discoursing  upon  it  all  the 
while,  as  if  not  a  moment  were  to  be  lost,  with  such  animated 
gestures  and  so  much  fluency  and  richness  of  language,  and 
such  a  happy  interweaving  of  humor  and  incident,  that  you 
became  strongly  interested.  You  had  made  a  discovery.  A 
science  that  you  had  perhaps  previously  laid  upon  the  shelf  on 
account  of  its  interminable  list  of  hard  names,  and  the  difficulty 
of  seeing  specimens,  became  wonderfully  simplified,  and  you 
resolved  again  to  be  a  disciple.  Such  was  the  earnestness  of 
this  excellent  teacher,  that  at  the  close  of  his  lecture  his  face 
was  flushed,  and  he  was  generally  in  a  free  perspiration. 

Upon  becoming  more  regular  attendants  at  the  School  of 
Botany  in  the  Garden  of  Plants,  we  found  eveiy  thing  upon 
the  most  magnificent  and  instructive  plan.  It  forms  a  large 
square  inclosure  in  the  centre.  The  plants  are  set  at  a  con- 
venient distance  in  rows  like  a  nursery,  and  grouped  together 
in  classes  and  families,  according  to  the  natural  system  of  Jus- 
sieu.  By  each  specimen,  elevated  on  a  small  iron  rod,  is  placed 
a  metallic  label,  painted  green,  on  which,  in  letters  legible  a  few 
yards  distant,  is  inscribed  its  botanical  name  and  the  country  to 
which  it  belongs,  with  a  character  distinguishing  whether  it 
is  annual,  biennial,  perennial;  as  also  a  black,  red,  yellow, 
or  other  colored  stripe  across  the  top,  denoting  the  plant  to 
be  poisonous,  medicinal,  ornamental,  or  edible.  Besides  these 
smaller  green  labels  for  each  s^iccies,  there  were  larger  ones 
of  different  colors,  at  the  head  of  each  class  and  tribe.     Thus, 


66  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  X. 

commencing  with  the  mushrooms,  mosses,  and  other  cryptoga- 
mous  plants,  in  one  corner  of  the  inclosure,  you  can  inspect, 
row  after  row,  gradually  ascending  to  the  proudest  tree  of  the 
forest.  Besides  the  vast  number  in  the  other  extensive  portions 
of  the  Garden  of  Plants,  there  are  more  than  twelve  thousand 
specimens  in  this  department  alone.  Encouraged  by  such  rai-e 
advantages,  my  enthusiastic  fiiend  became  a  confirmed  bota- 
nist. As  an  innocent  amusement,  he  commenced  translating  the 
professor's  thick  octavo  on  the  subject.  His  very  witticisms 
grew  herbaceous.  An  unconscious  passer-by,  with  an  exceed- 
ingly broad  hat,  w^as  humorously  pointed  out,  one  day,  as  a 
specimen  of  the  umbelliferae. 

It  is  thus  that  those  who  wish  to  pursue  thoroughly  any  par- 
ticularly intricate  studies  at  the  least  expense  find  extraordinary- 
facilities  in  Paris.  The  case  we  have  mentioned  is  only  a  single 
example  out  of  a  vast  number.  If  you  wish  to  devote  yourself 
to  zoology  and  comparative  anatomy,  you  have  access  without 
cost  to  the  extensive  menagerie  of  the  Garden  of  Plants,  and  to 
the  thousands  of  preserved  specimens  of  beasts,  birds,  fishes,  and 
reptiles,  from  the  elephant  and  river-horse  to  the  smallest  insect, 
in  its  splendid  museum;  if  you  wish  to  perfect  yourself  in  geol- 
ogy, you  have  at  your  command  one  of  the  most  splendid  col- 
lections in  the  world,  in  the  centre  of  which,  as  if  to  encourage 
you,  stands  a  fine  statue  of  Cuvier,  holding  a  representation  of 
the  earth,  into  an  excavation  of  which  his  finger  is  pointing  ;  and 
in  the  neighboring  lecture-room  you  may  attend  the  instructions 
of  the  celebrated  Brogniart.  Indeed,  independent  of  the  attrac- 
tion of  its  teachers,  the  Garden  of  Plants  may  perhaps  be  said 
with  justice,  as  a  whole,  to  contain  the  most  valuable  exhibition 
of  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature  in  existence. 

On  a  corresponding  liberal  scale  are  the  advantages  for  teach- 
ing every  known  science  in  the  other  institutions  and  colleges. 
Gratuitous  lectures  are  given  on  the  language  and  literature  of 
almost  every  nation,  ancient  or  modern.     As  an  instance  of  the 


Chap.  X.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  67 

extent  to  which  this  is  carried,  I  may  mention  seeing  the  an- 
nouncement of  one  of  the  public  professors  discoursing  on  Turk- 
ish. Every  general  department  of  knowledge  is  divided  into  a 
great  many  specialities,  to  each  of  which  there  is  a  separate 
chair.  Thus  in  the  faculty  of  medicine  alone  there  are  twenty- 
six  professors. 

The  situation  of  a  public  teacher  is  esteemed  very  honorable, 
and  though  the  salaries  are  moderate,  it  is  eagerly  sought. 
Peers  of  France  are  not  ashamed  to  be  considered  lecturers. 

Theie  is  a  rising  literary  aristocracy  more  powerful  than  the 
proudest  of  the  old  nobility.  The  name  of  M.  Guizot  is  still 
annually  announced  as  a  teacher  of  History.  His  place  is  tem- 
porarily supplied  by  another,  and  were  he  to  cease  to  be  pre- 
mier to-morrow,  and  his  voice  be  silent  at  the  tribune,  it  would 
probably  again  be  heard  from  the  professor's  chair. 

Persons  only  who  take  degrees  pay  certain  expenses  of  grad- 
uation ;  but  all  the  lectures,  museums,  libraries,  and  hospitals 
are  free.  All  the  educational  establishments  are  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  generally 
some  eminent  literary  personage,  and  a  royal  council.  The 
expenses  for  public  education  for  1846  are  estimated  in  the 
budget  at  more  than  seventeen  millions  of  francs. 

One  day  I  went  to  visit  the  Hospital  of  Salpetriere.  This 
place,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  the  seat  of  the  investigations 
of  Esquirol.  It  is  in  a  fine  airy  situation  near  the  Garden  of 
Plants,  with  extensive  buildings  and  pleasure-giounds,  and  can 
accommodate  near  five  thousand  inmates.  There  are  two  de- 
partments— one  is  an  asylum  for  aged  females,  disabled  or 
above  seventy  years  ;  and  the  other,  numbering  about  one  fourth 
of  the  inmates,  is  for  the  treatment  of  the  insane.  Never  have 
I  seen  any  thing  of  the  kind  so  neat  and  comfortable  as  the  first 
department.  In  one  portion  of  the  lunatic  establishment  there 
were  conveniences  for  writing  and  innocent  amusements,  and 
they  seem  to  have  realized  the  idea  that  "  Music  hath  charms 


Ca  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  X. 

to  soothe  the  savage  breast,"  by  placing  at  the  disposal  of  the 
inmates  an  organ  and  a  piano,  and  regularly  employing  a  music 
teacher.  Those  in  this  division  seemed  quite  cheerful  and  hap- 
py. Light  employment  was  furnished  them,  and  they  spent  an 
hour  a-day  in  gardening.  Most  of  them  saluted  our  company 
politely.  One  of  them,  with  a  certain  officious  air  and  benig- 
nant smile,  graciously  opened  the  door,  and  the  lady  attendant 
addressed  her  as  the  queen.  The  poor  woman  really  fancied 
herself  to  bear  the  responsibilities  of  royalty,  as  also  to  be  the 
wife  of  the  deceased  Duke  of  Orleans.  In  another  section  were 
the  more  unmanageable.  As  we  entered,  one  of  the  number 
rushed  toward  us,  wept  and  sobbed  piteously,  said  that  she 
knew  not  why  they  had  put  her  there,  and  begged  of  me  to 
assist  her  to  escape.  Doubtless  there  was  not  found  the  least 
suspicion  of  foul  play  in  her  case ;  but  the  circumstance  re- 
minded me  of  a  fearful  incident  related  of  one,  who,  under 
false  pretenses,  was  incarcerated  in  a  lunatic  asylum,  and  who, 
in  the  wildness  of  despair,  continually  exclaimed,  "I  am  not 
mad,"— only  to  prolong  his  captivity. 

Before  bidding  adieu  to  this  interesting  capital,  one  might  be 
expected  to  devote  special  attention  to  its  secular  Westminster 
Abbey,  the  Pantheon,  with  its  imposing  architecture  and  lofty 
dome, — the  bronze  column  in  the  Place  Vendome,  wreathed 
with  bas-reliefs  of  warlike  scenes,  surmounted  with  the  colos- 
sal statue  of  Napoleon,  which  w^as  formed  of  the  cannon  taken 
in  the  campaign  of  Austerlitz, — the  equally  beautiful  and  lofty 
brazen  monument  of  the  Revolution  of  1830,  in  the  Place  de  la 
Bastille, — and  the  treasures  of  the  Bibliotheque  Royale;  but  real- 
ly Paris  is  becoming  so  much  a  place  of  resort  for  all  the  world, 
that  one  feels  somewhat  scrupulous  in  penetrating  farther  into 
the  regi(Mi  of  twice-told  tales.  I  am  also  reluctant  to  attempt  a 
spiced  dish  of  politics.  Strong  attachment  to  one's  own  coun- 
try and  its  government  does  not  necessarily  involve  the  abuse 
of  all  others;  besides,  there  was,  at  the  outset,  a  sort  of  vow  to 


Chap.  X.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  69 

be  good-natured.  Much  as  the  hberal-mmded  stranger  finds  to 
admire  in  many  institutions  of  France,  and  gi'eat  as  have 
doubtless  been  the  improvements  in  her  political  system,  it 
would  be  too  much  for  humanity  for  them  to  be  perfect :  and 
there  are  still  anomalies,  that  from  habit  may  be  less  irksome  to 
her  subjects,  but  which,  perhaps,  partly  from  an  opposite  cause, 
are  much  more  so  to  those  with  whom  they  are  happily  unnec- 
essary. The  country  has  not  yet  entirely  recovered,  either  in 
its  warlike  tastes  or  its  economy,  from  the  effects  of  the  ii'on 
rule  of  Napoleon.  Soldiers  meet  you  every  where ;  your  pass- 
port is  a  necessary  companion ;  and  the  police,  if  more  quiet, 
are  probably  as  numerous  and  vigilant  as  in  the  days  of  Fouche. 
In  view  of  the  astonishing  changes  that  have  taken  place  since 
the  first  Revolution,  and  the  present  feverish  state  of  the  public 
mind,  it  is  difiicult  to  anticipate  the  future.  The  love  of  order, 
and  the  intelligence  so  eminently  favorable  to  the  enjoyment  of 
liberty,  are  evidently  on  the  increase.  The  judicious  peace  pol- 
icy of  the  present  government,  if  successfully  continued  for  many 
years,  by  encouraging  trade  and  manufactures,  must  eventually 
raise  up  a  powerful  middle  class  in  society,  like  that  in  England, 
who  will  not  rest  contented  without  an  extension  of  suffrage  and 
other  reforms.  AVar,  unless  in  a  necessary  and  successful  strug- 
gle for  freedom  itself,  is  its  greatest  enemy.  England  granted 
Catholic  emancipation  and  the  Reform  Bill  only  after  a  pro- 
found peace.  It  will  be  recollected,  too,  that  the  dynasty  of 
Louis  Philippe  is  in  the  same  position  with  regard  to  Henry  V, 
and  the  elder  Bourbons,  as  were  William  III.  of  England  and 
the  House  of  Hanover  with  the  Stuarts.  It  can  only  succeed 
by  being  the  more  liberal  of  the  two.  Its  claims  over  its  rival 
are  not  of  hereditary  right,  but  of  political  expediency  and  the 
voice  of  the  French  pcojile.  The  successors  of  the  Stuarts 
found  it  necessary  to  intrench  themselves  in  their  position,  and 
conciliate  their  subjects  by  assent  to  the  acts  of  habeas  corpus 
and  toleration,  and  the  surrender  of  important  prerogatives,  and 


70  LOITE RINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  X. 


when  the  hand  of  Louis  Philippe  shall  cease  to  hold  the  reins, 
and  the  excuse  of  present  danger  from  this  cause  shall  be  past, 
perhaps  there  will  be  a  revolution  in  favor  of  a  more  liberal 
state  of  things,  or  it  will  be  necessary  to  resort  to  a  similar 
policy  of  gi'adual  concession. 

A  transient  visitor  to  the  metropolis,  perhaps  naturally  forms 
an  exaggerated  unfavorable  opinion  of  the  French  morals. 
While  drunkenness  is  almost  unknown,  the  records  of  the 
Foundling  Hospital,  the  character  of  the  popular  literature,  and 
the  loose  opinions  that  too  generally  prevail  of  the  obligations  of 
the  marriage  vow,  naturally  shock  the  feelings  of  those  reared 
under  happier  influences.  Yet  the  capital  is  not  the  country, 
and  those  more  intimately  acquainted  w^ith  the  national  charac- 
ter uniformly  say  that  a  very  different  state  of  things  exists  in 
the  provinces.  There  is  no  sanctuary  for  virtue  like  a  home. 
It  preserves  the  young  from  the  contamination  of  the  world 
without,  and  it  cherishes  a  thousand  kindly  affections  that  be- 
come powerful  safeguards.  How  many  in  our  own  land  of 
happy  hearths  would  be  lost  in  the  hour  of  trial  but  for  the 
thoughts  of  wounding  and  disgracing  those  they  have  there 
learned  to  love  !  Most  of  the  Parisians,  in  our  sense  of  the 
fword,  have  no  home.  They  lodge  in  hired  apartments,  and 
spend  their  leisure  hours  at  the  cafes  and  places  of  public 
amusement.  Yet  there  are  evident  signs  of  improvement.  The 
moralist  looks  with  hope  at  the  acknowledged  increase  of  relig- 
ious feeling ;  and  after  all,  there  is  no  virtue  w^iich  endures  like 
that  which,  above  considerations  of  human  expediency,  looks 
for  its  reward  in  the  world  beyond  the  grave. 


Chap.  XT.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  71 


CHAPTER  XL 

Introduction — St.  Cloud — Sevres — Versailles — Journey  to  Boulogne — Foggy 
Reception — London — Evangelical  Alliance. 

I  RECOLLECT  an  acquaintance  with  whom  the  process  of  say- 
ing "Good-by,"  even  on  ordinary  occasions,  was  often  extremely 
gradual.  Like  certain  orators,  when  he  got  under  way  it  seem- 
ed impossible  to  stop.  He  was  sure  to  fascinate  you  with  the 
air  rushing  through  the  half-opened  door  upon  your  bare  head, 
in  a  cold  hall;  or  keep  you  hesitating  between  respect  and 
impatience  on  the  stone  steps,  and  just  as  you  fancied  you  had 
escaped,  you  heard  a  voice  behind  you  :  he  had  forgotten  some- 
thing, and  returned  to  the  charge,  till  he  gave  you  as  many 
parting  salutations  as  a  Chinese  master  of  ceremonies. 

Imitating  his  impressive  example,  then,  let  us  linger  about 
the  precincts  of  the  lively  capital,  to  which  we  had  professedly 
bidden  adieu. 

As  you  set  out  from  Paris  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  you 
pass  through  a  poition  of  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  celebrated  for 
its  duels,  and  the  encampment  of  the  English  troops;  and  crossing 
the  Seine  a  few  miles  below  the  city,  you  ascend  the  brow  of  a 
hill,  on  the  opposite  bank,  to  the  imposing  Palace  and  Park  of 
St.  Cloud.  Here,  as  one  of  the  pictures  in  the  Gallery  of  Ver- 
sailles vividly  reminds  you.  Napoleon,  assisted  by  his  brother  Lu- 
cien  and  his  grenadiers,  played  the  part  of  Cromwell,  in  forcibly 
breaking  up  the  sitting  of  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred,  in  the 
Revolution  of  the  18th  of  Brumaire  ;  and  here  were  signed  the 
ill-fated  ordinances  which  cost  Charles  X.  his  throne,  and  made 
his  ministers  life-prisoners.  It  is  still  one  of  the  summer  resi- 
dences of  the  royal  family.  The  interior  is  ornamented  with 
pictures  and  rich  furniture  similar  to  the  others ;  and  some  of 


72  LQITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XI. 

the  pieces  of  Gobelin  tapestry  lining  the  walls  are  so  exqui- 
sitely executed,  and  the  colors  are  so  delicately  laid,  that,  at  the 
distance  of  a  few  feet,  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  them  from  real 
paintings.  The  view  of  the  winding  river,  and  Paris,  in  the 
distance,  from  the  gi'ounds  in  front,  is  exceedingly  fine. 

My  visit  to  it  happened  to  be  in  company  with  a  party  of 
friends,  and,  after  paying  our  respects  to  the  palace,  we  strolled 
along  the  brow  of  the  hill,  through  a  forest  of  lofty  trees  in  the 
grounds  to  the  eastward  for  a  mile  or  more,  till  we  came  to  the 
village  of  Sevres.  On  presenting  our  tickets,  we  were  politely 
conducted  through  the  immense  show-rooms  of  the  Royal  Por- 
celain Manufactory,  containing  magnificent  services,  vases,  and 
paintings  upon  porcelain,  valued,  in  some  instances,  at  thou- 
sands of  francs  each,  besides  a  museum  of  the  earthenware  of 
all  nations,  from  Etruscan  vases  and  the  rudest  pottery  of  the 
savage  to  the  finest  fabrics  of  Europe  and  America. 

The  establishment  employs  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons, 
and,  like  the  manufactory  for  the  Gobelin  tapestry,  is  the  prop- 
erty of  the  government. 

A  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  village,  you  intersect  one  of 
the  two  railroads  leading  from  Paris  to  what  is  certainly  the 
principal  attraction,  both  to  citizens  and  strangers,  outside  of 
its  walls — the  Palace  of  Versailles.  It  costs  but  a  pleasant  ride 
of  twelve  miles  from  the  capital.  As  you  enter  the  gate  in  front, 
and  walk  leisurely  up  a  gentle  ascent,  you  are  struck  with  the 
imposing  array  of  colossal  statues  of  some  of  the  greatest  men 
of  France,  on  either  hand,  with  Louis  XIV.,  its  founder,  on 
horseback  in  the  centre,  at  their  head ;  and  then  the  connected 
mass  of  edifices  at  the  summit,  with  its  gigantic  wings  extend- 
ing far  downward,  presents  an  appearance  of  overgrown  great- 
ness worthy  to  be  counted  the  masterpiece  of  the  most  taste- 
ful, extravagant,  and  vain  monarch  of  his  time. 

By  the  burden  of  debt  and  taxes  thus  created,  it  is  thought 
that  he  left  the  French  Revolution  as  a  legacy  to  his  gi*andson, 


Chap.  XL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  73 

and  by  an  ominous  coincidence  it  was  from  this  place  that 
Louis  XVI.  was  forced  by  the  triumphant  mob  to  become  their 
prisoner  in  Paris. 

Its  unpleasant  associations,  and  more  especially  the  enormous 
expense  of  a  corresponding  establishment,  have  deterred  Napo- 
leon and  succeeding  rulers  from  inhabiting  the  principal  palace, 
till  at  length  that  munificent  patron  of  the  fine  arts,  and  skillful 
flatterer,  Louis  Philippe,  affixed  in  imposing  character  upon  its 
front  a  new  dedication  [A  touies  les  gloires  de  la  France,)  jDleas- 
ing  to  the  national  pride  of  every  Frenchman,  and  filled  it  with 
a  vast  collection  of  statues  and  paintings,  fomiing,  perhaps, 
the  largest  and  best  arranged  historical  gallery  in  the  world, 
and  opened  the  palace  and  its  magnificent  grounds  for  the  gra- 
tuitous instruction  and  amusement  of  all  classes. 

Commencing  with  the  elevation  of  a  Roman  general  upon  a 
shield,  by  his  soldiers,  as  their  Gallic  sovereign,  and  kindred 
scenes,  there  is  a  separate  apartment  devoted  to  each  age,  con- 
taining portraits  of  the  kings,  queens,  eminent  characters  of 
France,  pictures  of  coronations,  marriages,  and  stirring  inci- 
dents of  each  reign  to  the  present  time. 

The  department  devoted  to  the  Crusades  is  particularly  full 
and  interesting,  containing  representations  of  their  leading 
events,  in  which  Peter  the  Hermit,  St.  Louis,  Philip  Augustus, 
Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  and  hosts  of 
mailed  knights  and  turban ed  Saracens  are  fiercely  figuring, 
about  the  size  of  life.  Very  appropriately  in  this  department 
are  placed  the  carved  doors  and  the  huge  mortar  belonging  to 
the  Hospital  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  recently 
presented  by  the  sultan. 

The  series  depicting  the  various  incidents  of  the  career  of 
Napoleon  is  also  very  full,  and  the  whole  is  brought  down  to 
the  deeds  of  the  three  glorious  days,  the  swearing  to  the  charter, 
the  events  of  the  commencement  of  the  reign  of  the  present 
monarch,  and  the  battles  in  Algiers. 

D 


74  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XI. 

It  seems  that  the  splendor  and  extent  of  this  royal  residence 
were  oppressive  even  to  some  of  its  first  occupants,  and  Louis 
XIV.,  at  the  suggestion  of  Madame  de  Maintenon,  built  the 
Grand  Trianon,  a  kind  of  cottage-palace,  in  a  distant  part  of 
the  grounds.  Marie  Antoniette  preferred  the  Petit  Trianon, 
a  small  residence  still  more  retired,  with  half  a  dozen  plain 
rooms,  an  English  garden,  ornamented  with  untrimmed  trees, 
Swiss  chalets,  thatched  with  straw,  a  little  dairy  establishment, 
with  whose  affairs,  it  is  said,  she  used  to  busy  herself.  The 
park,  diversified  with  many  splendid  avenues  and  devices, 
extends  for  several  miles,  and  the  stupendous  fountains  and 
water-works,  on  account  of  the  great  expense  attending  the 
operation,  play  only  three  or  four  times  a-year,  on  great 
occasions. 

Having  taken  my  place  in  the  diligence  for  the  north,  one  fine 
morning,  much  in  the  style  of  the  hero  of  the  opening  para- 
graph, I  bade  a  lingering  final  adieu  to  Paris,  and  in  the  same 
spirit  exchanged  farewell  salutations  of  various  degrees  of 
strength,  according  to  the  distance,  with  a  very  dear  friend  who 
accompanied  me  to  the  place  of  departure.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
diligence  at  the  railway  station  in  one  of  the  suburbs,  the  body 
of  this  lumbering  conveyance  was  suddenly  lifted  off  the  wheels, 
and  placed  on  a  low,  flat  railway  car,  and  directly,  as  we  sat 
quietly  in  our  places,  we  were  flying  at  a  rapid  rate  upon  the 
great  northern  railway.  Our  course  along  the  River  Oise  and 
all  the  way  to  our  taking  to  wheels  again,  at  the  old  provincial 
town  of  Amiens,  was  through  a  level  and  comparatively  unin- 
teresting country.  To  enjoy  a  better  view,  I  had  taken  my 
place  in  the  banquette,  and  a  huge  corpulent  conductor  having 
left  his  more  usual  place  in  front  during  the  night,  kept  the  blind 
open,  and  greatly  encroached  upon  the  lateral  dimensions  of  two 
suffering  fellow-passengers  and  myself  One  of  them  was  not 
of  the  gentlest  mood,  and  grew  perfectly  furious.  Finding  he 
could  scarcely  speak  a  word  of  French,  and  that  our  oppressive 


Chap.  XL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  75 

functionary  was  equally  innocent  of  English,  one  of  us  ventured 
to  translate  some  of  the  milder  sentences  of  our  companion.  It 
was  labor  lost.  Sleep  at  length  came  as  a  peacemaker,  and  at 
daybreak  we  walked  into  the  good  city  of  Boulogne. 

As  it  became  lighter  we  sallied  forth,  and  obtained  from  a 
little  distance  a  view  of  the  column  erected  to  commemorate 
the  preparations  of  Napoleon  and  the  grand  army  upon  this 
spot  for  the  invasion  of  England. 

After  we  were  on  board  the  little  steamer,  and  fairly  in  the 
Channel,  the  clear  sky  suddenly  became  overcast,  a  storm  of 
wind  and  rain  came  on,  and  with  it  sea-sickness,  like  a  prevail- 
ing epidemic,  and,  as  we  neared  the  shore  there  was  a  dense 
mist  that  tempted  some  of  us  to  believe  that  the  worst  com- 
plaints against  the  climate  of  England  were  true,  and  that  it 
was  emphatically  the  land  of  fogs.  But,  as  if  by  a  charm,  we 
had  scarcely  landed  at  Folkestone  when  the  sun  shone  out  in 
strange  brightness,  and  we  were  soon  whirling  rapidly,  by  rail- 
way, through  a  beautiful,  undulating  country,  whose  pretty 
country  seats,  quiet  cottages,  and  fields  lined  with  hedges  and 
luxuriant  shrubbery  seemed  floating  by  us  like  a  passing  vision 
of  some  terrestrial  paradise.  Owing  to  the  climate  and  the 
effects  of  an  extremely  high  state  of  cultivation,  vegetation 
wears  a  hue  of  intense  green,  and  there  is  a  remarkably  fin- 
ished softness  to  the  landscape.  We  were  presented,  too, 
with  one  of  the  finest  specimens.  The  county  of  Kent  is 
often  styled  the  garden  of  England  ;  but  we  had  scarcely 
gazed  upon  it  before  we  were  plunged  into  the  smoke  and 
din  of  busy,  interminable  London. 

The  immediate  occasion  of  this  earlier  visit  was  a  message 
received  in  Paris  from  kind  friends  at  home,  requesting  me  to 
represent  them  at  the  approaching  meeting  of  the  Evangelical 
Alliance.  The  history  of  that  extraordinary  assemblage  is, 
doubtless,  too  familiar  to  need  repetition.  More  than  twenty 
different  sects,  and  more  than  a  thousand  Christians  from  the 


76  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XI. 

four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  speaking  several  different  lan- 
guages, mingled  together  for  nearly  a  fortnight  in  wonderful 
harmony.  It  was  a  touching  and  beautiful  illustration  of  the 
identity  of  the  Christian  religion  under  many  different  forms. 
Ministers  and  laymen,  gray-headed  fathers  of  the  Church  univer- 
sal, and  learned  divines  whose  eloquent  writings  had  become 
familiar  household  books  in  distant  lands,  here  gathered  on  an 
errand  of  peace  and  forgiveness.  It  seemed  like  the  harbinger 
of  a  happier  day.  Whatever  may  be  the  future  history  of  this 
effort,  the  assemblage  itself  is  a  great  fact  in  favor  of  the  truth 
of  Christianity,  which  can  never  be  destroyed.  No  other  in- 
fluence could  have  so  delightfully  calmed  so  many  apparently 
discordant  elements. 

After  a  thorough  friendly  discussion,  almost  every  important 
proposition  was  carried  without  a  dissenting  voice.  Even  in 
minor  matters,  there  were  scarcely  even  half  a  dozen  hands 
raised  in  the  negative.  Had  you  not  known  them  previously 
by  reputation,  it  was  commonly  impossible  to  tell  the  peculiar 
sect  of  any  of  the  speakers  by  what  fell  from  their  lips.  It  was 
the  occasion,  too,  of  delightful  interchanges  of  feeling,  generous 
hospitalities,  and  the  formation  of  cherished  friendships  that  can 
never  be  forgotten. 


Chap.  XII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  77 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Tiying  the  Nerves — Dover — Influence  of  the  Moon — Ostend — Ghent — Brus- 
sels— Bold  Design — Waterloo — Tnp  to  the  Rhine — Cologne. 

The  fatigue  of  a  previous  journey,  and  daily  occupation  in 
the  discharge  of  the  pleasing  commission  of  my  excellent  fiiends, 
prevented  me  from  doing  justice  to  the  sights  in  London;  and 
leaving  them,  and  my  heavier  baggage  as  probable  subjects  of 
future  attentions,  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  I  was  flying  off  at  a 
tangent  for  the  Continent,  through  the  beautiful  scenery,  and 
the  miles  of  dark  tunnels,  of  the  Southeastern  railway.  The 
average  rate  of  speed  of  the  cars  in  England  is  perhaps  greater 
than  any  where  else,  and  whirling  through  the  air  at  forty  or 
fifty  miles  an  hour  is  very  apt  to  give  the  nervous  some  of  the 
ticklish  sensations  of  the  celebrated  John  Gilpin.  The  Channel 
steamers  have  no  fixed  hours  for  starting,  but  are  regulated  by 
the  tide,  which  here  rises  very  high.  In  fact,  owing  to  natural 
or  other  causes,  the  influence  of  the  moon  upon  them  is  not 
quite  so  regular  as  upon  the  passive  waters  ;  and,  like  some 
Belgian  railways,  it  requires  a  good  deal  of  science  to  tell  the 
precise  moment  you  should  be  in  your  place.  So,  instead  of 
reposing  as  we  might  have  done,  amid  the  wonders  of  the  cap- 
ital, we  rested  till  near  noon  next  day  upon  the  breezy  shore 
at  Dover,  a  quiet  town  that,  like  a  belt,  lies  hemmed  in  on  one 
side,  while  on  the  other  ai'e  the  lofty  white  cliffs  that  anciently 
gave  the  name  to  the  island.  A  walk  upon  these,  next  morn- 
ing, in  the  direction  of  the  fine  old  castle,  reconciled  me  to  my 
fate.  It  was  one  of  those  blissful  moments  of  existence  when, 
though  alone,  we  are  not  solitary,  and  the  soul,  awake  only  to 
loveliness,  seeks  companionship  with  nature,  and  charmed,  as 
if  by  spirit- whisperings  before  unheard,  seems  to  hold  sweet 


78  LOITERIXGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XII. 

converse  with  earth,  sky,  and  ocean.  The  prospect  was  fairy 
as  a  dream.  Before  me,  calm  as  a  forest  lake,  lay  the  Channel, 
while  upon  its  surface,  as  if  set  in  molten  silver,  were  to  be 
counted  some  fifty  sail,  courting,  apparently  in  vain,  the  coy 
breeze.  Trees,  hedges,  and  lawns,  mingled  with  pretty  cot- 
tages and  villas,  and  clad  in  the  peculiar  rich  tints  of  an  island 
shore,  stretched  away  to  the  background,  as  its  crowning  beau- 
ties; and  the  slight  characteristic  haziness,  like  that  of  our  Indian 
summer,  but  tempered  the  blueness  of  the  sky  and  the  glare  of 
the  morning  sun,  throwing  a  kind  of  spiritual  dimness  over  a 
scene  whose  charms  lulled  me  into  a  sweet  revery,  in  which  all 
the  less  pleasing  earthly  realities  were  forgotten.  From  this 
transcendental  state  of  existence,  which  from  my  nearness  to 
the  precipice  was  sufficiently  hazardous  to  be  interesting,  I 
was  suddenly  awakened  by  a  column  of  black  smoke,  which  in 
these  reckless  days  has  become  one  of  the  symptoms  of  steam. 
The  little  packet,  which  from  the  dizzy  height  seemed  but  a 
plaything,  was  actually  evincing  signs  of  life,  and  snorting  and 
puffing  away  as  if  to  give  fair  warning  to  all  sentimental  loi- 
terers. I  set  off  at  a  furious  pace  down  the  subterranean 
staircase,  and  arrived  on  board  just  as  they  were  pulling  off, 
in  a  most  unpoetical  perspiration.  After  a  pleasant  sail  of  four 
hours,  the  steamer  approached  a  flat  shore,  and  edged  its  way 
into  the  little  cove,  on  one  side  of  which  were  the  low,  white 
houses  and  red-tiled  roofs  of  the  town  of  Ostend.  Having,  as 
T  hope,  given  a  satisfactory  exemplification  of  the  doctrine  of 
passive  obedience  and  non-resistance  at  the  custom-house,  and 
of  patience  in  waiting  an  hour  extra  at  the  station,  we  were  at 
length  fairly  in  motion,  and  passed  hour  after  hour  of  their 
railroad  measure  through  a  richly-cultivated  but  perfectly  flat 
country,  whose  rows  of  wallows,  ditches,  and  canals,  and 
peasants  with  tobacco  pipes  innumerable,  attest  its  claims  to 
neighborship  with  Holland.  At  length  we  halted  in  the  midst 
of  a  quiet,  ancient-looking  city,  half  in  ruins,  and  a  fellow-pas- 


Chap.  XII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  79 

senger  murmured  the  name  of  Bruges.  I  confess  I  heard  it  with 
a  feeling  of  regret.  Having  suffered  somewhat  from  too  close 
confinement  several  months  previous,  and  being  a  little  anxious 
on  account  of  the  lateness  of  the  season,  all  my  sympathies  were 
concentrated  upon  a  projected  ramble  among  the  Alps ;  and  in 
my  haste  to  get  on,  I  had  taken  a  ticket  all  the  way  to  Brussels, 
almost  forgetting  that  with  but  a  transient  glance  I  was  to  pass 
through  Bruges  and  Ghent — cities  that  with  Venice  were  once 
the  commercial  capitals  of  the  world — repositories  of  some  of  the 
choicest  paintings  of  the  great  masters  of  the  Flemish  school,  and 
of  some  of  the  most  interesting  historical  monuments  of  the  mid- 
dle ages.  As  the  engine  stopped  a  few  minutes,  as  if  for  breath, 
at  the  latter  city,  I  looked  out  into  its  roomy  streets,  lined  with 
stately  old  houses;  thought  of  Charles  V.  and  the  cruel  Alva;  of 
the  stormy  days  of  the  Van  Arteveldes  and  Philip  the  Good;  of 
the  time  when  its  weavers  darkened  the  streets  in  restless  throngs; 
when  at  the  sound  of  its  great  bell  it  could  summon  eighty  thou- 
sand fighting  men — and  of  a  furious  thunderstorm  just  rising — 
the  probable  conducting  powers  of  steam  pipes  and  railroad  iron 
— of  a  certain  precious  morsel  of  loose  baggage — when,  at  a  given 
signal,  there  was  a  general  rush ;  the  passengers  in  the  open  cai*s 
were  trying  to  change  their  tickets;  an  unexpected  crowd  from  a 
fair  were  applying  for  places,  and  amid  the  shouts  of  conductors, 
and  a  general  hubbub,  the  unfeeling  engine  forced  us  away  from 
the  good  city  of  Ghent.  Late  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  Brus- 
sels. The  appearance  of  the  streets,  the  cafes  and  restaurants, 
the  language  and  dress  of  the  better  classes,  and  the  general 
air  of  things,  give  one  the  idea  that  there  is  a  very  decided  at- 
tempt at  imitating  Parisian  life  here.  But  my  whole  thoughts 
at  the  time  were  bent  upon  seeing  the  field  of  Waterloo.  I  can 
scarcely  tell  why,  but  I  can  hardly  remember  a  single  object  of 
curiosity  a  visit  to  which  has  ever  excited  the  same  interest  in 
advance  as  that  famed  battle-ground.  It  is  true  that  the  widely 
different  accounts  of  French  and  English  histonans,  the  anima- 


80  LOITERIiNGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XII. 


ted  discussions  respecting  the  faults  or  mishaps  of  different  par- 
ties, its  importance  as  a  trial  of  military  skill  between  two  of 
the  first  commanders  of  the  age,  and  as  one  of  those  critical 
conflicts  which  have  influenced  the  destinies  of  the  world  for 
ages,  in  some  measure  justified  this  feeling.  But  really  it  be- 
came oppressive.  I  took  no  notes  of  ray  dreams  the  night  before, 
but  if  I  had  any  they  must  have  been  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 
I  had  pored  over  different  authorities,  till  I  was  as  much  in  the 
mist  as  a  jury  with  too  much  evidence  and  too  many  lawyers. 

Feverish  with  anticipation,  I  set  out  from  Brussels  without 
seeking  for  company ;  and,  for  the  benefit  of  any  who  may  be 
in  danger  of  falling  into  this  bachelor-habit  of  traveling,  I  may 
as  well  frankly  relate  my  experience.  For  want  of  other  em- 
ployment, or  from  an  overexcited  imagination,  I  amused  myself 
in  constructing  a  "  castle  in  the  air,"  of  extraordinary  magni- 
tude. I  really  conceived  the  design  of  writing  a  regular  statis- 
tical heroic  account  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  in  the  shape  of  a 
warlike  letter  to  my  friends,  that  thus  I,  too,  might  "  shoulder 
my  quill,  and  show  how  fields  were  won."  If  I  could  not  rec- 
ollect the  well-known  poetical  description  of  the  untimely  pre- 
liminary festive  scene  at  Brussels,  I  was  pretty  sure  that  I  had 
a  clew  in  the  name  of  the  author.  Tempting  scenes,  too,  for 
an  enthusiastic  pencil,  were  the  unrolling  of  the  French  col- 
umns, and  the  moving  of  the  imperial  eagles  along  the  brow  of 
the  opposing  hill,  to  the  sound  of  the  Marseillaise ; — the  demon 
fury  of  the  opening  struggles  for  the  possession  of  Hougou- 
mont, — the  carnage  of  LaHaye  Sainte, — the  whirlwind  descent 
of  Ponsonby's  ill-fated  dragoons, — the  reckless  charges  of  the 
glistening  cuirassiers, — the  marshaling  of  the  remnant  of  the  Old 
Guard  by  Napoleon,  as  he  led  them  a  little  way  down  the  de- 
scent, pointed  them  the  road  to  Brussels,  and,  for  the  last  time, 
appealed  to  them  as  his  "  children ;"  and  the  rampart  of  steel 
that  sprang  as  from  the  earth  to  receive  them  at  the  magic 
words  "  Up,  guards,  and  at  them  !"     What  a  crowd  of  martial 


Chap.  XII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  81 

figures,  ready  forged,  from  Homer  down  to  Napier,  might  be 
borrowed,  in  case  of  any  scarcity  of  originals !  One  might, 
after  the  manner  of  some,  play  with  fiery  serpents,  lions,  rocks, 
sulphury  clouds,  volcanoes,  and  the  like,  by  way  of  decoration, 
with  perfect  impunity.  I  was  in  the  midst  of  the  fray  (in  fancy, 
I  mean),  I  had  conjured  up  this  sublime  spectre,  when,  luckily 
for  my  friends,  there  flashed  upon  me  a  slight  sense  of  the  ridic- 
ulous. Other  scenes,  less  familiar,  might  do  ;  but  they  had  prob- 
ably read  the  regular  account  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  a  hun- 
dred times,  and  really  was  I  going  to  enlighten  them  upon  this 
point  again,  in  a  mere  traveling  journal  1  I  found,  too,  when  I 
caught  the  first  glance  of  the  field,  that  by  some  unaccountable 
mistake  (I  hope  some  future  historian  or  letter-wiiter  will  give 
us  the  benefit  of  a  good  map)  I  had  always  placed  Hougoumont 
on  the  left  instead  of  the  right  of  the  English.  As  has  been  often 
described,  the  plain  presents  two  parallel  ridges  crossing  the 
great  road  from  Brussels,  of  which  that  occupied  by  the  allies 
is  a  little  the  higher.  As  the  road  descends  into  the  valley,  it 
passes  close  to  the  farmhouse  of  La  Haye  Sainte.  On  the  top 
of  the  French  ridge  is  La  Belle  Alliance,  and  half  a  mile  west 
of  the  road  in  the  valley  is  Hougoumont. 

The  day  was  wet  and  dreary,  and  the  field  that,  in  imagination, 
I  had  just  peopled  with  contending  hosts  was  silent  as  the  g^*ave. 
There  came  over  me  a  feeling  of  unmingled  sadness.  You  trod 
as  though  the  very  turf  beneath  your  feet  had  been  "  a  soldier's 
sepulchre."  The  guide,  who  had  been  employed  in  taking  care 
of  the  wounded,  gave  a  fearful  account  of  the  cries  and  suffer- 
ings as,  to  use  his  comparison,  they  lay  helpless  and  bleeding, 
like  maimed  and  slaughtered  sheep.  How  many,  the  pride  and 
hope  of  many  a  circle,  unpitied  and  unfriended,  in  lingering  an- 
guish expired  upon  the  dani])  earth  as  their  couch  on  that  mem- 
orable day !  No  mother  or  wife  came  to  moisten  their  parched 
lips,  or  catch  their  last  whisper;  but  their  death  dream  was  of 
their    brethren,  who,  they  scarcely  knew  why,  were  piercing 

!>• 


82  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XII. 

each  other's  breast  above  them,  and  of  the  smoke  and  din  as  of 
a  conflict  of  demons.  The  last  pang  was  perhaps  given  by  the 
crushing  wheel  of  artillery,  or  their  yet  living  faces  were 
mangled  by  the  hoof  of  the  maddened  courser.  I  never  had 
such  a  consciousness  of  the  sinful  cruelty  of  war.  I  could  not 
help  secretly  thanking  Heaven  that  the  blessed  influence  of 
Christianity  was  hastening  the  day  when  its  ravages  should 
cease.  Every  memorial  was  of  destruction.  Little  innocent- 
looking"  children  came  up  and  offered  bullets  and  bits  of  broken 


'o 


up 


armor.  From  the  top  of  the  Belgian  mound  was  pointed  out 
each  locality  that  had  gained  distinction  from  the  number  of  its 
slain.  I  looked  upon  the  fresh  furrows  in  one  part  of  the  field, 
and  discovered  fragments  of  human  bones  mingled  with  the 
earth  ;  and  the  guide,  learning  that  I  was  a  physician,  and  think- 
ing to  gratify  me,  offered  me  a  skull. 

Next  day,  after  paying  my  respects  to  the  comparatively  un- 
ostentatious palace  of  King  Leopold,  some  creditable  modern 
paintings,  the  pleasure-grounds,  and  magnificent  Hotel  de  Villa 
of  Brussels,  I  took  the  cars  for  the  Rhine.  Passing  through 
Louvain,  the  celebrated  seat  of  Catholic  learning,  and  a  country 
more  agreeably  diversified,  we  at  length  descended  a  long  in- 
clined plane  to  the  ancient  city  of  Liege, — the  Birmingham  of 
northern  Europe,  prettily  situated  upon  the  river  Meuse,  in  a 
basin  environed  by  romantic  hills.  Uj)on  leaving  this,  the  rail- 
way passed  near  the  celebrated  Spa  watering-place  along  the 
course  of  a  small  river,  and  piercing  very  often  the  hills'  that  pro- 
jected too  far  into  its  beautiful  valley.  As  we  entered  the  do- 
minions of  Prussia,  the  trim-looking  hedges  reminded  me  of  the 
careful  culture  and  the  character  of  the  landscape  of  England. 

The  hum  of  the  strongly-pronounced  German  around  me  and 
the  harmonious  minglinsr  of  the  merry  voices  of  some  singers  in 
the  open  cars,  attested  that  we  were  in  the  ccmfines  of  their 
"fatherland."  At  length  it  became  twilight.  We  traversed  a 
level  plain,  and  the  cars  stopped.     We  were  in  the  good  city 


Chap.  XIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  83 

of  Cologne,  distinguished  for  the  number  of  its  churches,  con- 
vents, and  beggars,  and  its  apparently  necessary  perfume.  It 
is  redeemed,  however,  from  the  effect  of  any  little  faults  by  its 
situation  on  the  banks  of  the  renowned  stream  which,  in  a 
more  refined  way,  is  almost  as  much  the  object  of  the  veneration 
of  the  dwellers  upon  its  banks  as  the  Ganges  or  the  Nile. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

St.  Ursula — Happy  Meeting — Cathedral — The  Rhiue  —  Ehrenbreitstein — 
Legend  of  Lurlei — Home  Feelings — Fair  at  Frankfort. 

Cologne,  as  travelers  for  the  last  twenty  years  have  told  us, 
abounds  with  Roman  remains.  Its  very  name  is  one  of  these 
in  a  modified  form,  and  was  given  it  by  Agrippina,  mother  of 
Nero,  who  was  partial  to  it  as  her  birthplace,  and  sent  here 
a  colony  of  Roman  veterans.  But  all  the  inscrij)tions,  altars, 
and  old  walls  are  eclipsed  in  interest  by  its  unfinished  cathedral, 
one  of  the  finest  Gothic  S2)ccimens  in  Europe.  So,  as  in  duty 
bound,  I  made  this  the  first  thing  in  the  order  of  a  day  of  sight- 
seeing. The  object  that  most  prominently  arrests  your  atten- 
tion on  your  approach  is  a  large  crane  for  raising  stones,  that  for 
centuries  has  been  left  standing  on  the  highest  unfinished  tower. 
Having  been  once  taken  down,  a  terrible  thunder-storm  drove 
the  superstitious  citizens  immediately  to  replace  it  in  its  former 
respectable  position. 

At  length  I  made  my  way  into  the  magnificent  portion  finish- 
ed, which  is  garnished  willi  a  I'are  collection  of  monuments  of 
ancient  prelates  and  warriors;  and  after  mounting  to  the  dizzy 
height  of  the  roof,  and  paying,  article  by  article,  for  the  different 
sights,  accojding  to  a  rather  high  tariff,  which  here  parcels 
out  knowledge  in  convenient  lots,  like  books  published  in  num- 


84  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrS.  [Chap.  XIII. 

bers,  I  had  my  faith  tried  by  a  peep  into  an  inclosure  said  to 
contain  vast  treasures,  and  the  bones  of  three  kings,  or  magi, 
who  came  to  worship  the  Savior,  obtained  in  one  of  the  expe- 
ditions of  the  emperor  Frederic  Barbarossa,  and  presented  as 
a  rich  prize. 

Tiiis  city,  if  accounts  are  true,  is  also  remarkable  as  having 
received  the  largest  emigration  of  young  ladies  on  record.  Ac- 
cording to  the  current  legend,  St.  Ursula,  a  British  princess,  and 
a  train  of  eleven  thousand  virgins,  in  a  sea  voyage  to  Armorica, 
were  carried  by  a  tempest  all  the  way  up  the  Rhine  to  Cologne, 
and  upon  landing  were  cruelly  murdered  by  the  Huns.  I  went, 
toward  evening,  to  the  church  dedicated  to  the  principal  victim, 
where  the  story  is  yet  related,  and  their  bones  as  hideous  relics 
are  still  shown  to  wondering  pilgrims;  but  I  happened  to  be 
too  late  for  admission. 

Next  morning,  while  standing  on  the  deck  of  one  of  the  Rhine 
steamers  just  pushing  off,  quite  unexpectedly  I  encountered  a 
party  of  several  Americans,  among  whom  I  was  dehghted  to 
find  one  of  my  most  esteeined  early  friends.  It  was  a  glorious 
day.  We  are  such  creatures  of  sympathy  that  our  enjoyments 
are  happily  contagious.  After  a  couple  of  hours'  sail  we  ap- 
proached Bonn,  and  found  ourselves  fairly  in  the  midst  of  the 
beauties  of  the  Rhine.  We  formed  a  quiet,  enthusiastic  circle 
by  ourselves  upon  the  deck,  and  feasted  our  eyes  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  day.  The  romantic  summits  of  the  seven  mountains 
crowned  with  gray,  ruined  walls  of  old  castles — the  peak  of 
Drachenfels,  where  in  legendary  lore  the  Norman  Seigfried 
killed  the  dragon — the  sweet  island  of  Nonnenworth  in  the 
midst  of  the  river,  with  its  white-walled  nunnery  embowered  in 
ti'ees,  where  was  immured  the  betrothed  bride  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Roland — the  tower  on  the  opposite  shore,  where,  as  a  her- 
mit in  view  of  her  prison,  dwelt  the  disconsolate  lover — the 
castle  that  once  sheltered  Melancthon,  and  Bucer,  and  a  Prot- 
estant archbishop — the  wooded   height  and  pretty  church  of 


Chap.  XIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  85 

Apollinarisberg — the  defile  of  Andernach — the  spot  where  the 
French  under  Hoche,  and  the  Romans  under  Caesar,  crossed  the 
Rhine — the  dehcious  wooded  vale  of  the  Sayn,  all  passed  like 
shifting  scenes  of  a  beautiful  vision  ;  and  the  steamer  approach- 
ed the  place  where  mingle  the  clear  waters  of  the  Moselle  with 
the  turbid  Rhine  at  the  flourishing  and  ancient  city  of  Coblentz. 
Our  company  represented  several  different  sections,  coiTe- 
sponding  to  the  points  of  the  compass  in  our  own  country ; 
and  each  more  remarkable  turn  in  the  majestic  river,  each 
frowning  battlement  of  rock  or  bold  headland,  each  green  tribu- 
tary vale  or  overhanging  mountain  called  forth  some  happy  re- 
mark, some  appropriate  allusion  perchance  to  kindred  scenes 
upon  the  Hudson,  the  Potomac,  the  Susquehanna,  or  the  Ohio. 
It  is  a  fact,  that  most  have  probably  verified,  that  the  most 
lovely  scenes  of  nature  seem  often  to  remind  the  traveler  of 
the  happiest  hours  of  his  past  existence — of  home,  and  the 
fi'iends  whom  absence  has  taught  him  more  than  ever  to  cher- 
ish. He  may  revel  for  moments  as  in  a  dream  of  a  fairy  land, 
but  ever  and  anon,  as  a  passing  cloud,  comes  the  thought 
that  he  alone  of  all  his  own  hearth  circle  is  sharing  the  bless- 
ed sight.  How  much  more  richly  would  he  enjoy  it  could 
he  chime  in  the  ecstasy  of  a  single  home  voice !  I  could  not 
help  but  admire  the  strength  of  these  better  feelings  of  our 
nature,  as  manifested  in  frequent  casual  allusions  by  our  com- 
panions. Among  them  was  one  who  had  been  borne  down  by 
the  earlier  trials  of  an  arduous  profession,  and  had  left  a  young 
wife  and  a  loved  circle  in  the  hope  of  recovering  his  ruined 
health  in  a  foreign  land.  He  was  happily  improving.  He 
seemed  intoxicated  with  the  sight,  as  if  the  joyous  earth  were 
a  newly-bestowed  boon,  and  his  thoughts  naturally  turned  to 
the  one  who,  in  view  of  the  possibility  of  a  final  earthly  separa- 
tion, must  have  been  regarding  him  with  deepest  interest.  I 
shall  never  forget  the  enthusiasm  which  lit  up  his  face.  It 
seemed  as  if  nothing  but  intense  poetry  could  embody  his  feel- 


86  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XIIL 

iiigs.  Seizing  a  moment  when  a  little  retired  from  the  crowd, 
in  a  low,  tremulous  accent  denoting  deep  emotion,  and  with  a 
stress  upon  the  last  couplet,  he  repeated  the  well-known  stanzas 
written  by  one  far  less  happy : 

"  The  castle  crag  of  Dracheufels 

Frowns  o'er  the  wide  and  winding  Rhine, 
Whose  breast  of  waters  broadly  swells 

Between  the  banks  which  bear  the  yine ; 
And  hills,  all  rich  with  blossomed  trees, 

And  fields  which  promise  com  and  wine, 
And  scattered  cities  crowning  these. 

Whose  far  white  walls  along  them  shine, 
Have  strewed  a  scene  which  I  should  see 
With  double  joy  wert  thoii  with  me; 

And  peasant  girls  with  deep-blue  eyes. 

And  hands  which  offer  eai'ly  flowers, 
Walk  smiling  o'er  this  paradise, 

Above  the  frequent  feudal  towers ; 
Though  green  leaves  lift  their  walls  of  gray, 

And  many  a  rock  which  steeply  lowers, 
And  noble  arch  in  proud  decay. 

Look  on  this  vale  of  vintage-bowers. 
But  one  thing  wants  these  banks  of  Rhine — 
Thy  gentle  hand  to  clasp  in  mine!" 

Even  the  writer — the  only  one  in  the  company  who  had  been 
stoic  enough  not  to  be  beguiled  into  the  respectable  state  of 
double  blessedness — could  not  rest  unmoved.  As  an  impartial 
observ^er,  I  really  could  not  help  honoring  his  feelings.  Under 
any  circumstances  but  amid  such  enchanting  sights,  and  after  a 
separation,  this  warm  expression  of  them  might  have  appeared 
a  little  extravagant ;  but,  as  it  was,  it  seemed  quite  natural. 

Frowning  upon  the  entrance  of  the  Moselle  and  Coblentz,  on 
the  opposite  shore,  is  the  fortified  height  and  fortress  of  Ehren- 
breitstein,  the  Gibraltar  of  the  Rhine  that  baffled  all  the  at- 
tempts  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  was  only  reduced  by  famine  in 


Chap.  XIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  87 

1799.  Its  400  cannon,  ranges  of  covered  galleries,  and  im- 
mense stores  of  provisions,  appear  at  present  to  defy  an  enemy. 
There  is  something  very  peculiar  in  the  contrasts  of  the  Rhine 
scenery.  The  gleaming  of  the  sun  upon  the  joyous  river,  the 
mountains  on  either  side  terraced  to  the  very  top,  and  every 
passable  crevice  gracefully  ornamented  with  vines  or  green 
shrubbery  that  mingled  with  the  points  of  rock,  relieve  each 
other  like  the  light  and  shade  of  a  picture ;  ivy-clad  ruins, 
the  nests  of  the  robber-knio-hts  of  olden  time,  hanorinfr  over 
sweet  vales,  and  the  white  walls  of  cities  and  churches  gleam- 
ing here  and  there,  form  a  variety  really  enchanting.  The  his- 
toric associations  and  fearful  German  legends  of  this  spirit- 
haunted  river  invest  certain  appropriate  spots  with  strange 
interest.  Above  Coblentz  the  aspect  grew  wilder  and  the  old 
towns  more  frequent.  Passing  the  Castle  of  Stolzenfels  (proud 
rock),  now  fitted  up  as  a  royal  seat,  and  the  ruin  of  Sahneck, — 
the  decayed  retreat  of  Oberlanstein, — the  octagon  Konigstuhl 
of  Rhense,  where  the  emperor  and  the  electors  used  to  meet, — 
the  old  fortress  of  Marksburg,  with  its  famous  secret  passages, 
its  hoiTible  hundlock  and  chamber  for  tormenting  prisoners, — 
the  pretty  corn-fields  and  meadows  above  Boppart, — and  the 
Castles  of  the  Brothers,  and  several  others  celebrated  in  tra- 
ditionary story,  we  came  at  length  to  the  ruin,  the  most  impt)s- 
ing,  perhaps,  of  any  upon  this  noble  river,  the  extensive  for- 
tress of  Rheinfels.  Its  founder.  Count  Diether,  undertaking, 
some  time  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  exorbi- 
tantly to  increase  the  amount  of  pillage  upon  the  merchand- 
ise that  passed,  conformably  to  the  custom  of  the  knightly  high- 
waymen of  those  barbarous  days,  a  furious  quarrel  ensued 
between  the  tradesmen  and  the  nobility ;  and  the  former,  not 
liaving  had  any  lessons  in  the  modern  peaceable  methods  of 
corn-law  agitation,  rent — speechifying,  and  the  like — determined 
on  fifrhtiiig  for  "free  trade."  k*^ixty  cities  banded  togclher 
raised  formidable  armies,  and  in  a  few  years  reduced  the  Cas- 


88  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XIII. 

tie  of  Rheinfels  and  every  one  of  these  "  robber-nests"  upon 
the  Rhine.  It  is  still  used  as  a  gamson.  A  little  higher  up,  at 
a  bend  of  the  river,  is  a  whirlpool  somev^^hat  dangerous,  where, 
as  the  story  goes,  the  beautiful  and  wicked  water-nymph,  Lur- 
lei,  used  to  charm  the  poor  boatmen  with  her  siren  voice.  A 
salute  from  a  man  hired  and  stationed  for  the  purpose  at  her 
grotto  near  by,  awaked  the  reverberations  of  a  remarkable 
echo.  Farther  on,  the  castellated  ruins  and  hard  German 
names  increased  so  fast,  that  I  gave  up  counting.  Between 
this  and  Bergen  are  the  celebrated  vineyards  of  Asmanhausen, 
and  the  plantation  of  Prince  Metternich,  at  Johannesberg,  pro- 
ducing the  finest  of  the  Rhenish  wines.  At  length  the  banks 
of  the  river  became  tame  again,  my  friends  landed  at  the 
place  below,  and  I  stepped  ashore  at  the  fortress-town  of  May- 
ence.  The  only  pleasant  reminiscence  that  I  have  of  it  is,  that 
of  the  statue  to  Guttemburg,  the  inventor  of  printing.  After 
such  a  happy  meeting,  and  so  exhilarating  a  sail,  amid  beauties 
the  like  of  which  I  may  never  see  again,  this  monotonous  place, 
in  the  midst  of  a  level  plain,  hedged  in  with  a  treble  line  of 
fortifications,  the  constant  marching  to  and  fro  of  the  motley 
crowd  of  Austrian  and  Prussian  soldiers,  by  whom  in  equal 
numbers  it  is  garrisoned,  seemed  a  sad  change.  The  sabbath 
following,  spent  here,  was  one  of  the  most  lonely  that  I  remem- 
ber. At  sunrise  on  Monday  morning,  as  I  was  waiting  for  a 
vessel  to  pass  the  bridge  of  boats,  my  hand  was  suddenly 
grasped.  It  was  the  chaplain  to  the  Prussian  troops,  whom  I 
had  seen  in  London  at  the  meetings  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance. 
It  was  with  feelings  of  sincere  regret  that  I  found  myself  unable 
to  comply  with  a  hospitable  invitation,  tendered  with  all  the 
warmth  of  a  German  heart. 

Taking  the  cars  on  the  opposite  side,  I  passed  along  the 
level,  well-tilled  bank  of  the  Maine  to  Frankfort.  It  was  the 
fourteenth  day  or  the  middle  of  one  of  its  celebrated  semi-an- 
nual fairs.     The  bank  of  the  river  at  the  landing-place,  and 


Chap.  XIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  89 

whole  streets,  seemed  filled  with  large  booths  or  temporary 
shops,  in  which  were  exposed  almost  every  variety  of  merchan- 
dise. The  shopkeepers  seemed  suddenly  to  have  preferred  the 
street,  and  to  have  determined  to  give  their  goods  and  their 
lady-clerks  an  airing.  Such  a  Babel  confusion  of  tongues,  and 
such  a  grotesque  collection  of  human  beings  of  all  nations,  prob- 
ably rarely  occur.  Costumes  of  the  drollest  kind,  artificial  pro- 
cesses and  folds,  that  in  any  other  but  our  own  species  would 
be  regarded  as  curiosities  in  natural  history — headdresses  that 
would  do  credit  to  the  invention  of  the  South  Sea  islanders — 
meet  you  at  every  turn.  If  my  memory  serves  me  correctly,  I 
counted  six  varieties  of  the  latter  article  in  a  single  street. 
These  singular  forms  of  dress  are  generally  worn  by  the  peas- 
ants in  certain  districts,  whereas  in  Bavaria,  Switzerland,  and 
other  parts  of  Europe,  each  locality  has  a  characteristic  cos- 
tume, and  the  fashion  is  hereditary. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Speculation — Ariadne — Madame  Rothschild — The  Bergstrasse — Heidelberg 
— Baden-Baden — "  Conversation  House" — Strasbui-g — Basle. 

The  general  emigi'ation  out  of  doors,  and  the  accumulation 
of  a  vast  number  of  curiosities,  human  and  commercial,  from 
the  neighboring  country  to  the  fair,  rendering  it  difficult  for  a 
stranger  to  thread  his  way,  in  the  general  confusion,  to  the  more 
ordinaiy  objects  of  interest,  I  tried  to  obtain  a  guide. 

But  it  was,  in  the  speech  of  trade,  a  time  of  general  specula- 
tion. The  very  beggars  seemed  too  busy.  Several  times,  just 
as  I  was  about  to  put  some  innocent  question  on  the  subject  of 
the  locality  of  picture  galleries  or  churches,  or  make  known  my 
needy  condition,  I  was  anticipated  by  an  inquiry  if  I  had  any  thing 
to  buy  or  sell,  or  perhaps  some  eloquent  laudation  of  German 


90  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XIV. 

tobacco  pipes  or  razors.  The  word  money  seemed  written  upon 
every  face.  One  might  have  fancied  the  thousands  of  Jews  of 
Frankfort  in  the  streets  at  once,  or,  rather,  that  all  the  people  had 
suddenly  become  Israelitish.  It  was  a  scene  worthy  of  the  pen- 
cil of  Hogarth.  After  meekly  wandering  about  for  a  couple  of 
hours,  to  little  purpose,  and  finding  quiet  modesty  at  a  discount, 
I  put  on  a  little  of  the  consequential  swagger,  so  unpleasant  to 
most  persons,  and  so  effective  with  certain  landlords  and  waiters, 
made  a  bold  dash  at  a  group  more  idle  than  the  rest,  and  was 
answered  by  a  little  man  in  a  large  coat,  of  which  the  variety 
and  brilliancy  of  the  patches  constituted  a  specimen  of  do- 
mestic mosaic.  We  went  to  the  plain,  ancient  cathedral  where 
St.  Bernard  preached  the  crusade  and  the  German  emperors 
were  crowned  ;  saw  the  wonderful  clock,  that  tells  the  days  of 
the  year,  and  performs  sundry  other  feats — visited  the  library 
where  Luther's  shoes  are  kept,  the  fine  statue  of  Goethe,  the 
house  where  he  was  bom,  and  the  room  where  he  died,  and  at 
length  found  ourselves  in  a  garden,  where,  in  a  pavilion  built 
expressly  for  it,  was  Danneker's  celebrated  statue  of  Ariadne. 
It  has  become  latterly  the  great  curiosity  of  Frankfort.  One  can 
not  deny  its  exceeding  beauty  ;  but  the  position  of  lying,  deli- 
cately balanced  or  suspended,  as  it  were,  on  the  back  of  a  tiger, 
is  more  romantic  than  comfortable,  and  your  gallant  solicitude 
is  awakened  for  fear  she  will  fall.  But  perhaps  goddesses  and 
the  like  ought  not  to  be  subject  to  the  laws  of  gravitation  as 
other  ladies;  and  it  would  be  almost  treason  to  find  fault  with 
what  has  thrown  so  many  into  ecstasies. 

The  Jews'  quarter,  where  they  used  inhumanly  to  be  locked 
up  early  every  night,  still  retains  traces  of  old  clothes  and  sharp 
faces;  and  in  one  of  its  crooked,  unpleasant  streets  we  paid 
our  respects  to  the  house  in  which  the  Rothschilds  were  bom, 
and  in  which  their  very  aged  mother  still  lives,  refusing  to  for- 
sake this  humbler  dwelling  and  her  people  for  one  of  their  mag- 
nificent palaces  not  far  away. 


Chap.  XIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  01 

The  banks  of  the  Rhine,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Maine  to  Stras- 
burg,  being  flat  and  uninviting,  except  as  containing  on  the  west 
side  what  remains  of  the  once  powerful  free  cities  of  Worms 
and  Spires,  since  their  desolation  by  the  French  in  the  time  of 
Louis  XIV.,  I  took  passage  upon  the  railroad  leading  from  the 
Maine  to  the  Neckar,  running  a  few  miles  in  the  interior,  to 
eastward  by  the  Bergstrasse  (mountain  road),  celebrated  all 
over  G  ermany  for  the  beauty  of  its  scenery.  Skirting  the  gar- 
den-like valley  of  the  Rhine,  it  runs  along  the  base  of  a  range 
of  lofty  vine-clad  and  wooded  hills  on  the  east,  with  their  inter- 
stices dotted  here  and  there  with  churches  and  smiling  villages, 
while  upon  their  rocky  summits  frown  the  ruins  of  the  fortresses 
of  the  feudal  times  ;  and  away  across  the  river  and  fertile  plain  to 
the  west  is  seen  the  blue  wavy  outline  of  the  Vosges  Mount- 
ains. We  passed  through  Darmstadt,  the  quiet  capital  of  the 
duchy,  and  touched  the  Rhine  again  at  INIanheim.  At  length 
we  took  a  turn  up  the  vale  of  the  Neckar,  and  in  the  evening 
arrived  at  Heidelberg.  If  the  landlord's  daughter  at  the  hotel 
was  a  fair  specimen  of  the  better  class  of  German  ladies,  they 
are  certainly  capital  linguists.  After  presiding  at  the  hospitali- 
ties of  the  evening,  and  chatting  very  prettily  awhile  in  French, 
with  a  mischievous  smile,  she  suddenly  gave  me  the  benefit  of 
several  sentences  of  sensible  good  English. 

Next  morning  I  sallied  forth  at  daybreak  to  seek  an  early 
glimpse  of  its  beauties  from  one  of  the  wooded  heights  that  em- 
bower that  Eden-like  vale.  I  had  climbed  up  the  face  of  the 
mountain  to  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  palace-fortress  that  lowers 
so  imposingly  over  the  town,  performed  a  tolerable  pilgrimage 
on  my  hands  and  knees  through  its  dark  secret  passages,  roam 
ed  sentimentally  and  sadly  through  the  desolate  court-yard, 
drunk  from  the  gushing  spring  that  once  supplied  it,  mused,  as 
had  probably  every  visitor  before  me,  upon  the  defaced  sculp- 
ture of  the  once  iinely-onianiented  exteiior,  and  progressed 
from  the  opposite  side  as  far  as  what  is  termed  tho  "  Philoso- 


92  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XIV. 

pher's  Walk,"  when,  as  if  by  some  happy  enchantment,  the  first 
glow  of  the  rising  sun  flashed  upon  the  rocky  crests  and  the 
neighboring  spires,  till  at  length  it  rested  upon  the  fertile  plain 
seen  through  the  opening  to  the  westward,  caused  by  the  wind- 
ing Neckar.  There  are  seasons  of  lonely  contemplation  when 
strange  beauty  or  desolation  alike  remind  us  of  our  mortality. 
Again  and  again  had  that  valley,  then  so  quiet  and  lovely,  re- 
sounded with  the  terrors  of  bombardment,  and  witnessed  the 
most  cruel  atrocities  of  modern  warfare ;  and  yet  the  leveled 
dwellings  had  reappeared,  the  gory  and  blackened  earth  was 
green  as  ever,  and  both  the  destroyer  and  the  victims  had 
passed  away.  Vines  were  carelessly  growing,  and  the  river 
was  listlessly  coursing  on  as  if  fire  and  blood  had  not  been 
there.  And  where  was  he  who  had  laid  the  first  stone  of  that 
tower  of  strength  ]  Where  were  the  warrior  bands  who  once 
feasted  in  those  roofless  halls ;  or  the  proud  daughter  of  the 
Stuarts,  in  honor  of  whom  its  nuptial  arch  of  triumph  had  been 
erected,  and  who  had  exchanged  such  a  home  for  want  and  mis- 
ery, because  she  would  be  a  queen  %    It  was  an  impressive  lesson. 

Of  all  the  spots  in  the  old  world  I  have  yet  seen,  were  I 
compelled  to  choose,  there  are  none  that  seem  to  present  more 
natural  attractions  for  a  permanent  residence  than  Heidelberg. 
It  is  not  strange  that  many  eminent  scholars  should  have  pre- 
ferred it  as  their  final  resting-place.  Those  who  have  read  the 
descriptions  of  their  recreations  and  strong  attachments  in  "  How- 
itt's  Student  Life  in  Germany,"  will  easily  understand  why  a 
place  with  so  many  charms  should  be  the  object  of  the  most  en- 
thusiastic regard  by  those  who  claim  it  as  their  Alma  Mater. 

Upon  taking  the  cars  again,  the  next  move  was  to  Carlsruhe, 
the  residence  of  the  court  and  the  place  of  meeting  for  the  par- 
liament, or  estates  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden.  It  is  one  of 
the  youngest  of  German  cities,  having  risen  fi'om  a  hunting- 
lodge  in  the  course  of  about  a  century.  Notwithstanding  its 
situation  in  the  midst  of  a  level  plain,  the  rare  luxury  of  side- 


Chap.  XIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  93 

walks  and  the  comparative  newness  of  every  thing  give  it  a 
neat  and  comfortable  aspect.  The  streets  are  laid  out  upon 
the  singular  plan  of  radiating  from  the  palace  as  a  common 
centre,  like  the  spokes  in  a  wheel. 

Pushing  toward  the  south,  through  a  richly- cultivated  coun- 
try, we  at  length  took  a  turn  to  the  eastward,  and  in  a  gap  in 
the  mountains,  and  on  the  edge  of  the  famous  Black  Forest,  lay 
Baden-Baden.  Its  name,  like  a  double  superlative,  expresses 
what  to  a  German  is  so  dear  to  him, — that  it  is  a  little  terrestrial 
paradise  of  baths.  The  passion  for  watering-places  that  exists 
among  all  classes  is  really  marvelous.  With  all  who  can  pos- 
sibly afford  it,  there  is  a  sort  of  general  breaking  up  during  the 
kurzeit  (curing  time),  and  a  kind  of  joyous  universal  scramble, 
as  we  would  say,  for  the  springs,  I  constantly  encountered 
crowds  flocking  to  these  places  all  the  way  from  Brussels. 
Princes,  statesmen,  philosophers,  bankers,  shopkeepers,  arti- 
sans, blacklegs,  dyspeptic  invalids,  and  desponding  candidates 
for  matrimony,  are  said  annually  to  make  this  pilgrimage  with 
the  regularity  of  the  amval  of  June.  As  if  to  dispense  the 
blessings  of  these  mineral  health-fountains  to  the  poor  as  well 
as  the  rich,  the  country  abounds  with  them.  Every  little  j^rin- 
cipality  seems  to  have  its  Saratoga  on  a  larger  or  smaller  scale, 
and  a  great  many  of  them  are  unknown  abroad.  They  are 
generally  nestled  among  the  mountains,  amid  scenery  affording 
delightful  rambles ;  and  from  what  I  saw,  I  fancy  that  their 
visitors  lead  a  much  more  free-and-easy,  or,  to  use  an  express- 
ive home  phrase,  a  more  pic-nic  sort  of  life  than  is  customary 
at  the  springs  of  our  own  countiy.  The  utmost  good-humor 
prevails,  and  the  more  troublesome  forms  and  ceremonies  of 
society,  and  distinctions  of  rank,  are,  for  the  time,  thrown  aside. 
A  princess  does  not  disdain  the  invigorating  frolic  of  a  donkey- 
ride  upon  the  hills  ;  a  grand  duke  and  a  tradesman  may  sit  side 
by  side  at  a  table  d'hote  ;  and  you  may  converse  with  a  sover- 
eign prince  or  fine  lady  without  an  intioduction. 


94  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XIV. 

Anxious  to  make  the  most  of  my  time,  in  my  traveling-dress, 
without  changing  or  purifying,  I  posted  off  impatiently  to  a 
nei^hborincr  height  that  seemed  to  command  a  fine  view.  In 
this  uninteresting  plight  I  encountered  several  well-dressed 
parties,  some  of  whom  were  apparently  persons  of  distinction, 
and  received  kind  attentions  and  civilities  quite  unexpected. 

The  ruins  of  the  old  castle  are  situated  at  some  distance, 
upon  a  lofty  peak  in  the  midst  of  a  forest ;  and  in  trying  to 
reach  it  without  a  guide,  I  lost  my  way  in  the  wood.  In  cau- 
tiously advancing,  I  perceived  ahead  of  me,  at  a  distance,  two 
suspicious-looking  men,  crouching  as  it  were  for  concealment. 
They  might  have  been  hunters,  or  other  harmless  people  ;  but 
I  had  read  in  early  life  too  many  German  stories  of  robbers, 
the  Black  Forest,  and  the  wild  huntsman,  not  to  have  a  sort  of 
superstitious  respect  for  all  the  undefinable  characters  I  might 
meet  in  these  regions,  and  so,  aided  perhaps  by  my  puzzling 
exterior,  I  turned  in  another  direction,  and  succeeded  in  post- 
poning our  meeting. 

After  much  trouble  I  found  the  right  road,  and  was  amply 
repaid  for  my  pains.  The  castle  itself  was  dismantled  by  the 
French,  in  the  war  of  the  Palatinate.  Good-sized  trees  are 
now  growing  within  its  walls.  The  prospect  from  its  lofty  and 
massive  battlements  is  one  of  the  most  splendid  conceivable. 
On  the  eastward  are  the  darkly-wooded  hills  of  the  Black 
Forest;  westward  is  an  immense  plain,  traversed  by  the  Rhine 
like  a  silvery  thread  ;  and,  skirting  the  horizon,  in  the  distance 
lie  the  Vosges  Mountains.  Behind  you  are  lofty  heights;  and 
beneath  you  is  a  sweet  spot  where  three  valleys  meet,  that  by 
rich  contrast  become  greener  and  softer  as  they  descend  from 
the  rugged  steeps  around ;  and  strewed  along  a  tiny  river, 
formed  by  their  united  nils,  are  the  churches,  mills,  and  white- 
walled  dwellings  of  Baden-Baden. 

If  you  have  not  visited  the  rest,  after  such  a  vision  you  are 
quite  willing  to  take  for  granted  the  truth  of  the  general  asser- 


Chap.  XIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  95 

tion,  that  in  point  of  scenery  it  exceeds  all  the  other  watering- 
places  in  Germany.  The  castle  and  present  palace  of  the 
Grand  Duke,  lower  down,  though  not  so  old  as  the  one  men- 
tioned, is  still  an  ancient  edifice,  and  contains  a  secret  judg- 
ment-hall, chamber  of  torture,  dungeons,  and  relics  of  baronial 
cruelty,  of  which  fearful  stories  are  told.  A  passage  is  still 
shown  where  the  horrible  punishment  called  "  Kissing  the  Vir- 
gin" was  executed.  The  unfortunate  prisoner  is  said  to  have 
been  desired  to  kiss  an  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  which  stood 
at  one  extremity.  The  moment  he  approached  it,  a  trap-door 
gave  way  beneath  him,  and  he  was  precipitated  to  a  depth  be- 
low, where,  by  means  of  wheels  armed  with  knives,  he  was 
torn  to  pieces. 

The  hot  springs,  thirteen  in  number,  vary  in  temperature ; 
and,  besides  supplying  the  baths  and  the  grand  drinking  estab- 
lishments, are  said  to  furnish  hot  water  for  some  other  purposes. 
That  of  which  I  happened  to  drink  was  nearly  as  hot  as  could 
be  comfoj-tably  borne  in  the  mouth. 

A  magnificent  edifice,  in  the  midst  of  beautiful  grounds, 
with  a  band  playing  near,  and  having  at  one  extremity  a 
place  for  refreshment  and  a  library,  was  pointed  out  to  me 
as  the  "  Conversation  Housed  On  entering  the  piincipal  sa- 
loon, a  circle  whose  countenances  I  sliall  never  forget  were 
gathered  around  a  large  table,  upon  which  heaps  of  gold  and 
silver  were  lying;  and  a  man  with  a  little  instrument  was  turn- 
ing a  wheel,  upon  which  were  black  and  red  spots  and  num- 
bers, and  proclaiming  the  result.  Every  sweep  was  helping  to 
enchant  or  strip  some  deluded  victim.  It  was  the  famous  gam- 
ing and  swindling-machine  of  Rouge  et  Noir — to  me  an  un- 
pleasant sight.  France,  Austria,  and  Prussia  have,  of  late 
years,  laudably  su])pressed  public  gaming  establishments  ;  and 
two  or  three  only  of  the  petty  German  princes,  in  considera- 
tion of  large  annual  payments  have  stooped  to  Hcense  these  de- 
moralizing concciTis. 


96  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XV. 

The  route  from  Baden-Baden  to  Strasburg  lay  through  a 
monotonous  but  productive  country ;  and  on  both  sides  of  the 
Khine  I  was  somewhat  surprised  to  notice  the  rather  extensive 
cultivation  of  tobacco.  Doubtless  it  is  an  opportune  provision 
in  the  centre  of  a  great  smoking  region. 

Having  visited  the  cathedral  of  Strasburg,  with  its  spire  tow- 
ering above  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  and  every  rival  in  the  world, 
as  frequently  described,  one  sunny  morning  I  took  the  cars 
upon  the  railroad  skirting  a  chain  of  hills  forming  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Alps,  and  in  a  few  hours  alighted  at  Basle,  in  Swit- 
zerland. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Styles  of  Ti*aveling — Innocent  Amusement — Basle  Campagne — Lake  Sem- 
pach — Aniold  of  Winkelried — Lucerne — Singular  Tradition — Ascent  of 
the  Righi. 

No  country,  perhaps,  presents  so  many  differences  of  style 
and  taste  in  traveling  as  Switzerland  during  the  warm  season. 
Russian  and  English  nobility  with  their  carriages  and  liveried 
attendants,  Parisian  rentiers  and  London  shopkeepers  lionizing 
in  a  small  way,  literary  characters  supported  by  long  staves 
aniied  with  an  iron  point  and  a  chamois  horn,  artists  with 
fantastic  hats  and  chair  walking-sticks,  German  and  Swiss 
students  spending  a  vacation  in  a  blouse  and  knapsack,  and 
many  other  interesting  varieties  of  the  species  may  be  met  in 
remarkable  perfection.  Probably  nowhere  is  a  little  self-denial 
in  a  few  exteriors  better  rewarded.  The  fewer  your  wants  are 
the  better.  For  trifling  luxuries,  easily  sacrificed  for  a  time,  the 
voyager  in  state  is  subjected  to  many  more  annoyances.  He 
must  miss  the  more  wild  and  interesting  routes,  or  move  with  a 


Chap.  XV. j  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  97 

cavalcade  of  attendants,  with  trappings  that,  when  spread  out  in 
single  file  on  a  mountain  path,  remind  one  of  a  trader  of  the 
Andes,  or  tales  of  journeyings  in  the  desert,  except  that  mules 
are  not  camels,  nor  bleak  precipices  burning  plains.  Each  prin- 
cipal of  the  party  must  have  a  mule,  and  each  mule  a  guide, 
besides  extra  bearers  or  animals  for  the  accessories  in  the  shape 
of  small  trunks  and  overgrown  carpet-bags  balanced ;  nice  par- 
cels of  hat-boxes,  umbrellas  and  toilet-cases,  symptoms  of  a  cab- 
inet library,  a  flask  of  mountain  cordial,  a  few  very  choice  Ha- 
vannas,  and  other  exquisite  products  of  high  civilization.  Or, 
perhaps,  from  being  forewarned  of  the  fact  that  mules,  either 
from  the  length  of  their  ears,  the  length  of  their  burdens,  or 
some  other  cause,  have  acquired  the  obstinate  habit  of  instinct- 
ively preferring  the  outer  edge  of  the  mountain  path,  as  if  to 
frighten  the  rider,  or  for  some  other  grave  reason,  he  manages 
to  get  a  peep  from  Righi,  or  the  Flegere,  by  being  carried  upon 
a  machine  like  a  chair  upon  a  bier  by  several  panting,  perspir- 
ing fellow-creatures.  He  is  too  j)olite  or  good-natured  to  stop 
the  party  or  those  behind  that  he  may  meditate  a  little  on  a 
fine  view,  a  glacier,  or  the  glories  of  the  setting  sun.  Having 
much  to  care  for,  he  has  many  cares.  In  fact,  his  attendants 
and  exterior  indications  of  wealth  create  a  sensation  that  very 
much  disturbs  his  studies  of  nature.  Little  boys  with  minerals, 
little  girls  with  flowers,  extra  guides  that  scarcely  hear  the  first 
two  negatives,  and  objects  of  real  charity,  take  a  particular 
fancy  to  him,  and  lie  in  ambush  for  him  at  every  turn. 

In  addition  to  his  retinue  and  appearances,  he  speaks  En- 
glish, and,  though  a  luxurious  republican,  gets  the  title  abbre- 
viated on  the  Continent  to  "  Milor,"  and  pays  a  corresponding- 
penalty  in  the  shape  of  a  really  exorbitant  bill  and  perquisites, 
which  mar  the  Alpine  scenery  for  the  next  two  miles. 

On  the  other  hand,  such  are  its  advantages  in  a  mountainous 
country,  that  large  numbers,  who  would  not  be  induced  to  do 
so  elsewhere,  annually  make  the  tour  of  Switzerland  on  foot. 

E 


98  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XV. 

Learned  professors  and  others,  who  could  well  afford  to  do 
otherwise,  have  occasionally  preferred  this  method.  Any  one 
traveling  for  health,  or  sincerely  desirous  to  learn  much  of  the 
country,  and  who  has  the  independence  and  good  sense  to  disre- 
gard the  unreasonable  people  whose  esteem  is  purchased  solely 
by  outside  appearances,  will,  by  going  in  this  simple,  plain 
way,  secure  much  gieater  immunities  and  privileges.  You  are 
free  to  go  when  and  where  you  list.  No  one  has  a  right  to 
hurry  you.  Chatting  familiarly  with  the  peasants  by  the  road- 
side, or  entering  the  mountain  chalets,  you  learn  more  of  the 
people.  You  climb  to  wilder  heights.  If  you  happen  to  have 
a  taste  for  geology,  or  botany,  you  can  turn  aside  to  pry  into 
the  secrets  of  every  interesting  rock  or  flower.  You  remember 
better  what  you  see.  Passing  for  a  modest  and  moderate  man, 
you  are  more  honestly  treated  and  less  annoyed.  Your  fatigues 
only  give  you  sweeter  sleep,  a  delicious  appetite,  and  you  are 
astonished  to  find,  after  a  few  days,  that  your  powers  of  endur- 
ance have  wonderfully  increased,  and  that  you  climb  up  Alpine 
heights  with  an  enthusiasm  like  that  of  early  days. 

Possibly  my  impressions  of  these  matters  may  be  a  little  ex- 
aggerated from  having  met  certain  rather  marked  examples  of 
both  extremes  ;  but  I  have  thus  frankly  stated  them  for  the 
consideration  of  some  who  may  follow. 

So,  partly  as  a  restorative  from  the  injurious  effects  of  a  pe- 
riod of  close  confinement  some  months  previous,  at  the  enthusi- 
astic recommendation  of  some  friends  who  had  tried  it  (as  with 
most  extraordinary  remedies),  I  determined  to  take  a  medium 
course,  to  reduce  my  single  self  to  the  smallest  portable  dimen- 
sions ;  to  send  my  baggage  to  suitable  jDoints  by  the  peculiarly 
excellent  and  safe  facilities  of  the  Swiss  post-office  ;  to  render 
myself  independent  of  guides  in  most  places  by  the  use  of  one 
of  Keller's  very  admirable  maps,  with  all  the  routes  from  the 
great  roads  to  the  wildest  footpaths  carefully  distinguished,  and 
the  fine  views,  ruins,  glaciers,  waterfalls,  and  many  other  things. 


Chap.  XV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  99 

clearly  marked ;  and  to  compromise  matters  by  taking  the  dili- 
gences and  lake  steamers  on  main  and  less  interesting  routes, 
and  make  pedestrian  excursions  of  all  the  wilder  scenes. 

Leaving,  as  a  preparatory  training,  the  fine  old  town  of  Basle, 
with  its  half  German  aspect  and  manners,  I  was  soon  in  the  midst 
of  the  charming  rural  scenery  of  Basle  Campagne.  The  next 
morning  was  one  of  sui'passing  loveliness.  Mountains  began 
gently  to  rise,  but  they  were  so  green  and  cultivated  that  they 
seemed  to  blend  harmoniously  with  the  sunny  slopes  and  deeper- 
tinted  vales  in  one  pleasing  picture.  It  was  diversified  by  hamlets 
of  white  dwellings,  orchards,  and  vineyards,  and  the  winding  of 
the  young  and  foaming  Rhine.  The  earlier  vintage  was  just 
commencing,  and  the  quaint  costumes  of  the  peasant  women 
were  seen  moving  quietly  here  and  there  among  the  vines. 
Distant  echoes  were  strangely  distinct.  The  numerous  bells 
of  the  herds  and  flocks  in  Switzerland  have  a  peculiar,  clear, 
ringing  tone,  something  like  those  which  are  used  by  certain 
musical  perf(jrmers,  and  the  chiming  of  hundreds  of  these  upon 
the  surrounding  hills,  as  in  pastoral  concert,  seemed  to  lull  the 
listener  into  a  kind  of  sweet  forgetfulness.  Suddenly,  a  peculiar 
wild  warbling  strain  burst  forth  from  a  young  peasant  upon  a 
height  just  across  the  river.  It  was  one  of  those  mountain  airs 
peculiar  to  the  countiy,  the  famous  ranz  dcs  vaches. 

As  the  sun  waxed  warmer  I  noticed  a  delicious  spot  on  a  by- 
road, in  one  of  the  valleys  leading  up  into  tlie  mountains  ;  and 
being  at  liberty  to  indulge  in  every  caprice,  I  turned  aside, 
sought  a  grassy  shadowed  knoll,  with  a  fine  prospect,  by  the 
bank  of  a  little  ri\-ulet,  and  sitting  down,  spread  out  a  rather 
weighty  jiocket  library  of  books  and  maps  upon  the  grass,  and 
attempted  to  settle  the  details  of  my  yet  undecided  route. 
Little  peasant  children,  attracted  by  red  covers  and  pictures, 
came  timidly  near,  and  being  encouraged  by  a  smile  and  a  kind 
word,  at  length  peeped,  with  childish  simplicity,  over  my  shoul- 
der into  the  wonderful  book.     Sometimes  I  seemed  to  read  and 


100  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XV. 

sometimes  to  dream.  It  was  a  happy  revery  that  could  not  last 
long.  Upon  waking,  I  set  off  in  the  direction  of  Lake  Lucenie, 
some  sixty  miles  to  the  southeastward.  Passing  through  Liech- 
stall  and  several  minor  villages  and  a  mountainous  portion  of 
the  Canton  of  Soleure,  I  at  length  descended  from  a  lofty  height, 
through  the  intricate  windings  of  the  pass  of  Unter  Haunstein, 
and  reached  the  quiet  town  of  Olten,  upon  the  banks  of  the 
rapid  Aar.  Aarburg,  with  its  imposing  rocky  citadel,  and  the 
rich  thriving  valleys  of  the  Protestant -Canton  of  Argovie,  slowly 
receded,  and  I  entered  the  less  pleasing  and  apparently  less 
prosperous  tenitories  of  Catholic  Lucerne.  The  husbandry,  in 
some  parts,  seemed  as  if  it  might  not  have  gi'eatly  changed  since 
the  days  of  Tell.  As  in  some  of  the  primitive  cantons,  and  like 
the  custom  mentioned  by  Saussure,  in  his  desciiption  of  Cha- 
mouny  in  the  last  century,  the  peasants  seemed  not  content 
with  subjecting  their  ladies  to  hard  out-door  tasks,  but  to  have 
called  into  requisition  the  gentler  sex  among  the  herds.  Quite 
as  frequently,  perhaps,  as  any  other  animal,  milch-cows  were 
seen  attached  to  the  plough  or  cart.  The  associations  and 
trappings  of  these  beasts  of  draught  were  sometimes  of  an 
extremely  odd  character.  In  one  instance  a  stately  ox  and 
a  patient  horse  were  matched  in  harness  at  the  plough.  Then 
perhaps  you  saw  a  pair  of  oxen  led  by  a  couple  of  cows,  with 
a  singular  kind  of  yoke  lashed  to  the  roots  of  their  horns,  or 
a  cow  in  shafts,  collar,  and  traces,  assisted  by  a  donkey. 
Some  of  these  peculiarities  I  observed  in  other  portions  of 
Switzerland,  and  also  in  Germany ;  but  the  combinations  did 
not  happen,  perhaps  from  accident,  to  be  any  where  so  gro- 
tesque as  here.  The  cattle  were  generally  in  fine  condition.  I 
was  uniformly  honestly  treated,  and  there  was  something  touch- 
ing in  the  manner  and  accent  in  which  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  repeated  "  good-day"  [gtiten  tag),  or  some  other  hearty 
German  salutation;  and  in  the  friendly  inquiries,  and  simple,  kind 
reception  at  the  inns,  in  some  of  the  less  frequented  districts. 


Chap.  XV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  101 

At  length,  from  the  top  of  a  little  eminence,  there  burst  upon 
me  the  pleasant  prospect  of  the  Sempach,  a  beautiful  sheet  of 
water,  with  its  sloping  shores,  covered  with  orchards,  which 
strongly  reminded  me  of  a  view  of  one  of  the  lakes  of  Western 
New  York.  Its  attractions,  too,  were  enhanced  by  the  fact 
that  its  name  is  a  souvenir  of  the  second  gi'eat  Swiss  victory  for 
freedom — of  one  of  the  most  heroic  actions  on  record — the  self- 
immolation  of  Arnold  of  Winkelried. 

Leopold,  duke  of  Austria,  son  of  him  who  was  defeated  at 
Morgarten,  with  an  army  of  many  thousand  mail-clad  knights, 
having  cruelly  ravaged  part  of  the  countiy  with  fire  and  sword, 
advanced  along  the  north  shore  of  the  lake,  burning  to  wipe  out 
the  former  disgrace.  To  oppose  this  formidable  array  was  a 
little  band  of  fourteen  hundred  peasants  perched  on  the  heights 
above.  The  Austrian  nobles  dismounting,  formed  a  solid  phal- 
anx, and  leveling  their  long  lances  so  as  to  present  a  bristling 
wall  of  steel,  advanced  with  loud  cries  of  defiance  ;  and  the 
Swiss  seeming  perhaps,  to  their  enemies,  in  fear,  knelt  stilly  and 
solemnly  in  prayer.  Rising  from  their  knees,  they  swept  down 
the  hill  at  a  running  charge,  with  a  courage  worthy  of  the 
Greeks  at  Marathon.  It  was  in  vani.  The  flower  of  a  brave 
army  was  there,  and  not  a  rank  of  the  foe  could  be  broken. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  bristling  bariier  was  impenetrable.  "  The 
Swiss,"  says  one  of  their  historians,  "fell  one  after  the  other; 
already  sixty  weltered  in  their  blood.  All  wavered.  '  I  will 
open  a  path  to  freedom,'  cries  suddenly  a  voice  of  thunder. 
'  Faithful  and  dear  confederates,  protect  my  wife  and  my  chil- 
dren !'  Thus  speaks  Arnold  Strouthan  de  Winkelried,  knight  of 
Unterwaldcn.  He  embraces  as  many  of  the  hostile  spears  as 
he  can,  forces  them  in  his  breast,  and  falls.  The  confederates 
precipitate  themselves  above  his  body,  in  the  opening  in  the  wall 
of  steel,  breakinsf  all  with  their  terrible  blows  ;  helmets  and 
ai'ms  fly  crashing  beneath  the  heavy  weapons  ;  the  brilliant  cui- 
rasses are  stained  with  blood.     Three  times  the  principal  ban- 


102  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XV. 

ner  of  Austria,  steeped  in  gore,  escapes  to  dying  hands.  The 
earth  is  strewn  with  dying  nobles.  The  duke  himself  dies  in 
the  dust,  struck  down  by  a  man  of  Schwytz.  Terror  flies 
through  the  ranks  of  the  cavaliers;  they  sound  a  retreat  and  de- 
mand their  horses :  but  their  servants  and  horses  have  already 
fled,  seized  with  consternation.  The  unhappy  nobles,  bonie 
down  with  their  heavy  cuirasses,  heated  by  a  burning  sun, 
begin  to  fly.  The  confederates  press  upon  their  steps.  Many 
hundreds  of  counts,  barons,  and  knights  of  Suabia,  Tyrol,  and 
Argovie,  and  thousands  of  their  attendants,  perish.  Such  was 
the  issue  of  the  battle  of  Serapach,  fought  the  ninth  of  July, 
1386 — such  was  the  glorious  result  of  the  heroism  and  martyi*- 
dom  of  Arnold  of  Winkelried." 

From  the  above  extract  it  will  be  seen  with  what  enthusiasm 
the  names  associated  with  their  wonderful  early  struggles  for 
liberty  are  still  regarded. 

Resting  at  the  only  inn,  in  a  little  village  near  Sempach, 
next  morning  I  entered  Lucerne.  The  town  is  finely  situated 
on  both  sides  of  the  clear,  rapid  Reuss,  just  as  it  issues  fi'om 
the  lake,  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  lofty  peaks  of  Righi 
on  the  north  shore,  and  Mount  Pilatus  on  the  south.  With 
Berne  and  Zurich  it  claims  alternately  the  honor  of  being  the 
federal  capital,  and  is  the  residence  of  the  Papal  nuncio.  The 
whole  canton,  indeed,  from  the  numerous  crosses  and  pictures 
at  the  roadside,  and  other  indications,  seems  strongly  attached 
to  the  Catholic  religion.  It  is  the  rallying  point  of  the  newly- 
formed  league  of  the  seven  cantons,  and  the  law  by  which 
Protestants  are  unjustly  deprived  of  the  rights  of  citizens  is  said 
to  have  been  one  of  the  causes  of  the  late  troubles. 

A  popular  legend  exists,  that  Pilate,  having  been  banished 
into  Gaul,  committed  suicide  by  leaping  from  the  lofty  mountain 
near  Lucerne  into  the  lake,  and  they  say  his  restless  spirit  still 
breeds  storms. 

There  was  something  touching  in  the  sight  of  homely-clad 


Chap.  XV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  103 

peasants  galhentig  from  miles  round  to  the  only  hamlet  church. 
In  the  way  of  their  fathers,'  these  simple  mountaineers  were 
worshiping  God.  And  who  but  the  All-wise  could  tell  how 
much  a  faith,  which  I  might  deem  imperfect,  had  ministered  to 
pain,  and  sweetened  the  cup  of  sorrow  and  death  ! 

Rest,  and  the  invigorating  effect  of  my  previous  trip,  really 
made  me  feel  quite  adventurous :  and  being  desirous  to  see  the 
sun  rise  from  the  mountain  noted  for  the. finest  panoramic  view 
in  Switzerland,  I  rose  at  three  o'clock  the  following  morning, 
and  with,  perhaps,  scarcely  justifiable  presumption,  managed  to 
find  the  path.  With  the  aid  of  a  lantern  and  mountain  staif,  I 
succeeded,  after  a  three-hours'  march,  in  reaching  the  top  alone. 
The  morning,  at  first,  was  not  perfectly  clear,  and  fogs  occa- 
sionally obscured  the  view.  Yet  the  first  gleam  of  the  sun 
upon  the  ranges  of  snow  mountains,  on  the  mists  brooding  over 
the  dark  Lucerne  on  one  side,  and  the  churches,  villages,  plains, 
hills,  and  shining  lakes  on  the  other,  was  really  gorgeous. 
The  prospect  extends  over  a  circumference  of  three  hundred 
miles,  and  embraces  views  of  many  spots  associated  with 
remarkable  events.  The  victory  field  of  Morgarten — the  pla- 
ces distinguished  by  the  adventures  of  Tell — the  spire  of  the 
church  where  the  reformer  Zwingle  fell — the  mountain,  whose 
slide  buried  the  village  of  Rossberg,  and  the  icy  summits  where 
the  armies  of  Massena  and  Suvvarrow  fought,  are  all  within  the 
range.  On  a  perfectly  clear  day,  it  is  said  thirteen  lakes  are 
visible.  Leaving  the  unexpectedly  large  and  respectable  shiv- 
eiing  assemblage  who  had  staid  over  night,  or  arrived  later  at 
the  hotel  upon  the  top,  I  made  the  best  of  my  way  to  the 
warmer  regions  below. 


104  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVL 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Lake  Lucerae — Tell's  Chapel — Night  Adventure — Tour  in  Oberland — Tlie 
Wengeni  Alp. 

On  ariiving  at  Weggis,  I  took  passage  in  the  little  steamer 
that  daily  makes  the  tour  of  Lake  Lucerne.  Perhaps  nowhere 
in  the  world  is  there  such  sublime  late  scenery.  As  you  gaze 
upon  it  from  the  town  itself,  though  bounded  on  each  side  by 
Mount  Pilatus  and  the  Righi,  yet  the  softness  of  less  bold  shores, 
the  green  skirting  round  the  base  of  the  latter,  and  the  quiet 
bays  spreading  out  on  either  hand  give  a  more  peaceful  aspect ; 
but  when  you  advance  eastward  upon  its  surface,  it  increases 
in  wildness.  Two  mountains  on  either  hand  seem  about  to 
close  the  view ;  but  a  narrow  passage  is  at  length  formed  be- 
tween them,  and  you  sweep  along  gazing  upon  their  frowning 
forais  reflected  in  the  water,  till  at  once  you  take  a  new  direc- 
tion round  a  sharp  promontory,  and  discover  the  magnificent 
bay  of  Uri,  till  then  invisible,  with  its  rock-bound  shores,  dark 
at  their  bases,  rising  almost  perpendicularly,  and  tapering  away 
into  ragged,  snow-clad  peaks,  far  above.  And  then  almost 
every  romantic  spot  upon  this  famed  lake  has  been  immortal- 
ized in  poetry  by  the  genius  of  Schiller,  and  consecrated  in  the 
memory  of  the  Swiss  by  the  most  thrilling  recollections.  As 
you  set  out,  spreading  away  to  your  left  is  the  bay  of  Kuss- 
nacht,  leading  up  to  the  '*  Hollow  Way,"  where  Tell  lay  in 
ambush  for  Gesler.  Just  after  you  turn  the  promontory  and 
enter  the  bay  of  Uri,  the  little  green  solitary  ledge  that  you  see 
between  the  rock  and  the  water  close  to  your  right  is  Grutli, 
the  spot  where  were  held  the  mighty  meetings  of  Werner 
Stauffacher,  Walter  Furst,  and  Arnold  of  Melcthal,  in  con- 
spiring for  the  freedom  of  their  country.     Farther  on,  in  sight. 


Chap.  XVI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  105 

upon  the  opposite  bank,  and  built  upon  the  rock  where  the 
Swiss  hero,  unbound  to  steer  the  tyrant's  boat  in  the  storm, 
leaped  ashore,  is  Tell's  Chapel.  Like  many  other  objects  in 
this  region  it  is  ornamented  with  rude  representations  of  the 
events  of  his  life,  and  incidents  connected  with  the  biith  of 
Swiss  liberty.  It  was  erected  shortly  after  his  d^ath,  and  every 
year  there  is  still  a  grand  religious  ceremony  performed  in  it 
commemorative  of  his  deliverance. 

Happening  to  meet  with  a  couple  of  extremely  intelligent 
and  aorreeable  vouns^  men,  one  of  whom  was  from  a  Swiss  in- 
stitution,  spending  a  vacation  among  the  mountains,  a  joint 
excursion  was  planned,  and  I  staid  with  them  at  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Altorf,  near  the  landing.  It  is  celebrated  as  the  place 
where  Gesler  compelled  Tell  to  shoot  the  apple  from  the  head 
of  his  child.  Early  next  gloomy  morning  wo  took  the  route  up 
the  wild  gorge  of  the  Reuss.  The  stream,  dashing  and  foaming 
from  rock  to  rock,  between  dizzy,  dark  precipices  and  over- 
hanging woods,  rendered  it  a  fit  scene  for  the  pencil  of  Salvator 
Rosa.  It  is  a  spot  perfectly  in  character  with  the  savage  ren- 
counters which  took  place  among  these  seemingly  impassable  de- 
files and  untrodden  icy  summits  between  the  French,  Austrians, 
and  Russians,  in  the  fierce  campaign  of  1799.  Perhaps  some 
of  the  little  villages  here  could  hardly  be  kept  alive  were  this 
not  the  route  to  Italy  by  the  passage  of  the  St.  Gothard.  Large 
droves  of  fine  cattle,  the  staple  export  here,  were  being  diiven 
over  the  Alps.  Having  dined  early  at  Wason,  tlic  last  village 
in  the  Canton  of  L^ri,  we  struck  upon  a  solitary  wild  path  over 
the  mountains,  by  the  Susten  pass,  to  the  westward.  It  was  a 
dismal  day.  The  chalets  giew  smaller  and  more  thinly  scat- 
tered. It  seemed  a  wonder  liow  the  famished  peasantry  had 
food  for  subsistence ;  for  the  most  extensive  teiTaced  patch  of 
potatoes,  the  only  article  cultivated,  did  not  appear  much  larc:cr 
than  the  area  of  a  cottage.  Finally,  cattle  and  pasturage  dis- 
appeared, and  we  saw  nothing  but  a  few  goats  browsing  among 


106  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVI. 

the  cliffs.  We  had  passed  the  last  habitation :  the  mists  grew 
more  dense,  and  the  freezing  rain  poured  in  torrents.  We  had 
ventured  without  a  guide.  A  kid  that  had  so  far  strayed  that 
no  efforts  could  drive  it  back,  and  which,  like  ourselves,  seemed 
lonely,  was  the  only  living  thing  in  sight.  The  cold  increased,  and 
mosses  and  arctic  plants  began  to  appear.  Were  those  dimly- 
seen  masses  close  at  hand  but  thicker  fogs  1  They  were  gla- 
ciers. Night  came  on  sooner  than  we  had  dreamed.  Hungry, 
wet  and  shivering,  we  began  gloomily  to  contemplate  the  con- 
tingency of  sleeping  among  snows.  At  length  the  steep,  zig- 
zag path  seemed  for  a  moment  easier ;  but  it  was  getting  dark, 
and  we  could  scarcely  see  any  thing.  We  soon  thought,  how- 
ever, by  the  sound  of  the  mountain  torrents  that  they  ran  the 
other  way.  The  summit  was  gained.  After  groping  our  way 
in  the  dark  with  our  alpenstocks  for  a  time  in  descending,  we 
gladly  welcomed  the  sight  of  a  human  dwelling,  and  rested  at 
the  first  mountain  chalet.  A  plentiful  supply  of  warm  goats' 
milk,  devoured  with  a  voracious  appetite,  and  a  night's  rest,  soon 
made  us  forget  our  troubles. 

Next  day  we  passed  through  a  pleasant  gi'een  valley,  in 
which  an  artist  was  sketching,  to  Meyringen  in  the  Canton  of 
Berne.  Here  I  reluctantly  parted  with  my  excellent  compan- 
ions, whose  time  had  expired,  for  a  route  along  the  foot  of  the 
higher  Bernese  Alps,  in  Oberland,  which  common  report  had 
represented  to  exhibit  the  most  impressive  views  of  the  kind  in 
Switzerland.  It  was  dusk  when  I  came  to  the  baths  of  Ro- 
senlaui.  The  kind-hearted  mistress  of  the  hotel  was  tenderly 
leading  a  pale,  consumptive  girl  backward  and  forward,  for  a 
walk  upon  the  greensward  near.  I  was  treated  with  more  than 
mercenary  hospitality. 

The  following  morning,  in  pursuing  the  path  over  the  Shei- 
deck,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  brilliantly-illuminated  summit 
of  the  Wetterhorn,  (Peak  of  Tempests,)  the  advance-guard  of 
this  magnificent  chain ;    and  presently  my  ears  were  saluted 


Chap.  XVI.]  LOITERLXGS  IN  EUROPE.  107 

with  a  distant,  grinding,  revei-berating  noise,  like  thunder.  It 
was  the  first  of  the  day's  series  of  the  harmless  avalanches  of 
this  season.  Soon  after  I  missed  my  way,  till  some  peasants 
kindly  directed  me  into  the  elevated  valley  of  Grindelvvald. 
Shaping  my  course  from  this,  over  the  Wengern  Alp,  as  com- 
manding the  finest  near  view,  I  seemed  carried  along  close 
abreast,  as  it  were,  of  the  principal  peaks  at  half  their  height. 
In  keeping  with  this  upland  scenery,  a  herdsman,  even  at  this 
late  season,  brought  strawberries  and  cream ;  a  girl,  in  Swiss 
costume,  knitting  by  the  roadside,  sang  Ranz  dcs  V aches  ;  and 
a  sturdy  mountaineer  blew  the  wooden  Alpine  horn,  till  every 
ice-crag  around  echoed  with  wild  and  sweet  music.  An  hour 
or  two  after,  I  reached  the  highest  point.  The  panorama  sur- 
passed all  previous  conception.  Wetterhorn,  Shreckhorn,  Fin- 
Bter — Aarhorn,  Eigher,  Monch,  and,  loftier  than  all,  the  "vir- 
gin" Jungfrau  stood  arrayed  before  me  within  the  limits  of  little 
more  than  half  a  day's  journey,  like  a  range  of  giants  concealed 
in  white  drapery,  and  piercing  the  clouds.  From  natural  causes 
it  is  said,  that  the  snow  on  these  peaks  is  more  continuous,  and 
of  a  more  dazzling  purity  than  elsewhere.  I  had  fancied  that 
the  impression  would  be  but  a  little  exaggerated  beyond  that 
which  our  own  winters  often  present  in  a  hilly  country;  but  I 
was  mistaken.  The  sky  above  the  region  of  clouds  was  clear 
as  a  mirror;  and  in  the  transparent  air  the  sun  appeared 
to  glitter  warmly  upon  them,  as  if  they  had  been  hills  of 
crystal ;  and  the  effect  of  this  upon  the  clouds  and  veiling  mists 
that  floated  round  their  breasts  was  to  encircle  the  whole 
with  a  kind  of  halo,  an  ethereal  radiance,  that  seemed  not 
of  this  lower  world.  Having  always  previously  thought  trav- 
elers extravagant  in  describing  these  scenes,  I  shall  not  take  it 
unkindly  to  be  esteemed  so  by  others.  It  was  just  then  a  priv- 
ilege to  be  alone.  I  recollect  sitting  down  in  a  kind  of  be- 
wildered enthusiasm,  and  looking  upward,  and  the  immediate 
sensation  was  that  of  iiTesistible  leligious  emotion.     The  sight 


108  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVI. 

of  those  glittering  mountains  reminded  one  of  tbe  descriptions 
in  the  Apocalypse  of  the  tearless  land  of  light. 

Frequently  we  can  scarcely  ourselves  account  for  the  charac- 
ter of  our  feelinc^s,  or  trace  the  invisible  links  of  thouorht.  We 
may  weep  at  the  sound  of  a  lively  air  that  brings  remembrances 
of  a  voice  that  will  never  come  again,  or  the  sight  of  a  charm- 
ing landscape  that  we  know  was  often  beheld  by  eyes  that  have 
lost  their  earthly  lustre. 

Perhaps  it  was  because  I  had  heard  most  of  the  happier  land 
from  those  lips,  or  that  the  sight  of  dim  emblems  of  that  far 
dwelling  reminded  me  of  a  pure  spirit  there;  for  as  I  sat 
wrapped  in  a  revery,  my  thoughts  strangely  wandered.  In 
that  Alpine  solitude  I  could  not  help  dropping  a  tear  to 
the  memory  of  one  departed.  That  scene,  in  fancy,  is  still 
fi-esh  before  me.  In  engrossing  occupation  with  what  had 
passed,  I  little  regarded  the  dark  abyss  of  Lauterbrunnen,  into 
which  I  afterward  descended,  or  the  stream  of  the  Staubacb, 
reduced  as  to  dust  by  a  fall  of  many  hundred  feet,  or  the  ro- 
mantic views  seen  by  moonlight  all  the  way  to  Interlachen.  I 
had  never  been  so  stirred  by  any  prospect  before.  Prose 
seemed  too  tame  for  some  of  the  emotions  that  found,  perhaps, 
but  an  imperfect  embodiment  in  a 

LAY  OF   THE   WENGERN   ALP. 

Pure,  white-robed,  heavenward  things, 

As  the  beacon-hills  of  light 
Ye  seem — the  dark  earth's  betokenings 

Of  visions  veiled  fi'om  sight. 

Deem  this  a  fancy  wild — 

By  its  faith,  the  stricken  breast, 
That  mourns  the  dead,  as  a  trusting  child 

Must  image  yet  their  rest. 

The  loved,  by  ocean  cleft. 

In  dreams  will  be  feiried  o'er ; 


Chap.  XVII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  10[) 

The  wrecked,  on  the  floating  timbers  left, 
From  clouds  will  fashion  shore. 

On  Jungfrau's  snowy  height, 

From  this  lower  steep  I  gaze ; 
And  shinmg  glacier,  sky,  sunbeam  bright, 

And  cloud,  blend  in  one  blaze. 

From  Lauterbrunnen  deep. 

Like  spirits  to  blessedness. 
Rise  white-winged  mists,  that  as  guardians  keep 

Round  diamond  palaces. 

And  though  "  eye  hath  not  seen" 

The  light  of  the  great  white  throne, 
You  mount  to  the  fond  lone  heart  hath  been 

The  type  of  worlds  unknown. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Interlachen — Knightly  Feat — A  Fair — Taking  an  Observation — Lake  Thun — 
Benie — A  wandering  Journeyman — Neuchdtel. 

A  SWEET  spot  is  Interlachen.  Situated  on  a  green,  narrow 
strip,  separating  the  beautiful  lakes  Thun  and  Biientz,  and 
suiTounded  with  gently  romantic  scenery,  leading  away  to  the 
Bemese  Alps  in  the  background,  it  has  many  attractions  to 
strangers  as  a  summer  residence. 

There  is  something  cheery  in  its  lively  stream  and  its  white 
dwellings,  and  trim  rows  of  trees.  Not  far  away,  too,  are  tlie 
ruins  of  a  castle,  which  has  connected  with  it  a  pretty  legend  of 
olden  time. 

The  last  male  descendant  of  a  powerful  race,  its  ancient  lords, 
had  an  idolized  only  daughter,  beloved  by  a  young  knight  who 
utterly  despaired  of  success  by  peaceable  means  on  accoimt 
of  a   deadly  feud.      Like  some  of  the  chivalrous  adventurei*s 


110  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVII. 

who,  in  modern  times,  hastily  visit  Gretna  Green,  he  had  re- 
course to  a  bold  expedient,  and  succeeded  in  scaling  the  castle 
walls  in  the  night,  and  carrying  away,  as  his  willing  biide,  the 
beautiful  Ida.  Years  of  bloody  strife  followed.  At  last  Ru- 
dolph, taking  his  wife  and  infant  son  with  him,  threw  himself, 
unarmed  and  unattended,  upon  the  old  man's  generosity,  in 
the  midst  of  his  stronghold.  The  enmity  and  pride  of  the  war- 
rior were  in  a  moment  overcome  by  the  feelings  of  the  father. 
He  burst  into  tears,  welcomed  them  as  his  children,  and  made 
the  infant  heir  to  his  immense  possessions.  The  day  of  their 
reconciliation  was  set  apart  by  him  for  the  annual  celebration 
of  rural  games  and  amusements,  the  last  of  which  took  place 
upon  the  spot  within  a  few  years. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  happened  to  be  that  of  a  Swiss  fair. 
It  seemed  to  be  a  time  of  general  barter  between  the  people  of 
the  mountain  and  the  plain.  Altogether  it  was  a  rare  collec- 
tion. Men  and  animals,  from  the  tall  mountaineer  and  his 
wilful  mule,  to  wayward  cows,  slippery  porkers,  and  sheep 
and  goats,  bred  in  a  land  of  freedom,  sadly  obstructed  the 
streets,  and  by  general  contribution  gave  a  kind  of  concert 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  domestic  section  of  Noah's 
ark.  I  chose  a  quiet  spot,  and  took  what  in  more  sublime 
things  might  be  termed  an  observation.  The  effect  of  such 
an  impulse  upon  a  Swiss  village  was,  after  all,  not  unhap- 
py. Smiling  and  ruddy  faces  were  gleaming  over  the  coun- 
ters of  the  little  shops,  and  every  fold  of  white,  black,  and  pur- 
ple, in  the  singular  female  costumes,  was  carefully  airanged  as 
for  a  holy  day.  The  men  were  generally  clad  in  a  kind  of  brown 
domestic  woolen  cloth,  resembling  the  fabric  often  worn  in  the 
more  retired  parts  of  our  own  country,  and  dyed  with  the  bark 
of  one  of  our  forest  trees.  I  had  never  seen  so  many  of  the 
hardy  race  of  the  mountains  together  before,  and  I  was  curious 
to  notice  their  physical  peculiarities.  It  might  have  been  im- 
agination, but  I  fancied  that  the  constant  habit  of  climbing  pre- 


Chap.  XVII. ]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  Ill 

cipices  seemed  to  have  given  the  shoulders  a  pecuhar  set,  or 
stoop  forward.  Independent  of  the  deformity  of  tumors,  so 
common,  the  necks  of  the  peasant  women  from  the  high  Alps 
seemed  unnaturally  masculine — the  effect,  probably,  of  the  ex- 
traordinary muscular  exertion  required  in  balancing  the  im- 
mense loads  they  so  often  carry  upon  their  heads  over  foot- 
paths impassable  to  ordinary  conveyances. 

On  embarking  to  cross  Lake  Thun,  the  little  steamer  was 
heavily  freighted  with  a  dense  crowd  of  human  beings  and  to- 
bacco pipes.  I  mention  the  latter  on  account  of  their  number 
and  mag^nitude.  It  is  said  that  when  the  Mexicans  first  saw 
the  cavalry  of  Cortez,  they  fancied  that  the  rider  and  horse 
formed  but  one  animal ;  and  if  there  yet  remain  any  simple- 
hearted  people  entirely  innocent  of  the  ways  of  civilization,  and 
the  use  of  the  fashionable  narcotic,  the  sight  of  the  remarkable 
bulbs,  tubes,  and  appendages  suspended  from  the  faces  of  the 
Swiss  and  German  peasantry,  and  the  symptoms  of  constant 
combustion,  would  surely  be  to  them  a  wonder. 

Lake  Thun  is  a  charming  sheet  of  water,  some  ten  miles  in 
length.  Emptying  into  it  on  the  south  shore  is  the  River  Kan- 
der,  which,  within  little  more  than  a  century,  has  deposited  a 
delta  of  several  hundred  acres.  Its  formation  has  recently  been 
ably  investigated  by  Professor  Lyell.  A  little  farther  on,  in  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  is  the  Cave  of  St.  Beatus,  a  hermit  of 
British  extraction,  who,  according  to  tradition,  disjiossessed  a 
dragon  at  very  short  notice  ;  and,  among  other  things,  is  said  to 
have  astonished  his  neighbors  unreasonably,  one  day,  by  ferry- 
ing himself  across  the  lake  on  his  cloak  ! 

As  you  approach  the  western  extremity  of  the  lake,  at  the 
place  where  the  Aar  emerges  from  it  in  a  j)ure,  limpid  stream, 
lies  the  pretty  town  of  Thun.  It  was  a  pleasant  day  as  I 
coursed  along  the  valley  of  the  Aar  to  the  westward  ;  and  the 
richly-cultivated  fields,  green  meadows,  and  immense  farm- 
houses, consisting  of  a  barn  and  dwelling,  side  by  side,  under 


112  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVTI. 

the  same  roof,  contrasted  strongly  with  the  sterile  soil  and  di- 
minutive habitations  of  the  more  elevated  regions.  As  in  other 
parts,  the  system  of  irrigating  the  lower  lands  with  the  rivulets 
from  the  hills  often  prevailed,  and  wheat  was  being  sown  in 
many  places  on  quite  a  different  plan  from  the  husbandry  of  our 
own  country.  Four  horses,  or  a  corresponding  force  of  some 
kind,  drew  a  heavy  plough,  that  turned  over  the  strong  green 
turf  to  the  depth  of  nearly  a  foot.  A  large  company  of  women 
and  boys  stood  ready  with  hoes  to  dress  the  furrow  finely,  and 
beat  it  level,  and  without  further  preparation  the  grain  was 
immediately  sown. 

In  the  evenimg  I  crossed  the  splendid  stone  bridge  over  the 
Aar,  as  it  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town  of  Berne. 
The  next  fine  morning  I  took  a  stroll  to  see  the  lions,  or,  rather, 
the  bears  of  the  place  ;  for  every  where  signs,  gates,  and  fount- 
ains with  the  images  of  Bruin  bear  testimony  to  his  popularity; 
and  he  has  figured  upon  the  standard  of  the  canton  and  in  the 
affections  of  the  citizens  for  centuries,  very  much  in  the  exalted 
position  of  the  American  eagle  in  our  own  hemisphere.  From 
his  title,  in  old  German,  the  name  of  the  canton  is  derived. 
Several  live  specimens  are  still  kept  at  public  expense.  The 
same  greediness  which  occasioned  the  removal  of  the  famous 
bronze  horse  from  Venice,  and  the  most  valuable  statues  and 
pictures  from  Italy,  induced  the  French,  in  1798,  to  carry  away 
their  finest  bear,  as  a  trophy,  to  Paris,  where  he  was  long  a  fa- 
vorite. 

The  situation  of  the  city,  on  a  kind  of  elevated  promontory 
in  a  bend  of  the  river — its  lofty,  well-built  houses,  and  clean 
streets,  with  showy  arcades  projecting  over  the  sidewalks — its 
fine  terraced  walks — and,  above  all,  the  magnificent  view  of 
Jungfi'au  and  the  snow  Alps  to  the  eastward,  give  it  many 
charms. 

As  the  diligence  did  not  leave  till  several  hours  later,  at  the 
conclusion  of  my  tour  through  the  town  I  took  a  fancy  to  walk 


Chap.  XVII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  113 

on  leisurely  in  advance  a  few  miles,  and  amuse  myself  with  any 
thing  that  might  occur.  On  the  way  I  was  overtaken  by  one 
of  those  young,  wandering  journeymen,  whom  you  very  fre- 
quently see  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  and  especially  the 
former. 

With  a  pack  of  implements  and  clothes,  a  staff  in  hand,  and 
a  record  of  their  journeyings  and  testimonials  in  the  pocket,  they 
are  compelled  by  custom  to  subsist  by  their  trade,  and  travel  to 
perfect  tliemselves  for  a  given  number  of  years,  before  being 
established  in  business.  When  forced  to  ask  alms  they  are  al- 
ways treated  more  kindly  than  other  applicants.  A  register  of 
places  vacant  is  kept  for  their  convenience  at  the  head-quarters 
of  each  trade  in  every  town.  There  was  a  modest  reserve,  in- 
telligence, and  pensive  air  about  my  new  acquaintance  that  ex- 
ceedingly interested  me.  I  was  traveling  for  information,  and 
concluded  for  a  while  to  keep  him  company.  He  was  evidently 
a  genius.  He  had  wandered  over  a  large  part  of  the  Continent, 
and  obtained  the  knowledge  of  several  languages.  Some  of  his 
adventures  in  Italy  and  Spain  had  been  really  quite  romantic. 
His  last  place  of  steady  employment  had  been  Rome,  and  after 
being  on  foot  for  more  than  a  month,  he  had  passed  the  Alps  by 
the  Simplon,  and  reached  his  own  country  again.  He  turned 
into  two  or  three  villages,  and  came  out  every  time  with  a  sad- 
der face.  Occasionally  he  grew  absent,  and  sighed  heavily,  as  if 
laboring  under  a  weight  of  secret  grief  I  could  not  feel  happy 
in  leaving  him  without  delicately  prying  into  the  cause.  At  last 
he  confessed  that  all  his  late  applications  for  work  had  been 
vain,  that  he  was  penniless,  and  that  he  had  traveled  since  the 
day  before  without  food,  in  hopes  of  reaching  that  day  the  place 
of  his  birth,  which  ten  years  previously  he  had  left  as  a  friend- 
less orphan.  He  would  like,  he  said,  to  see  it  once  more  be- 
fore he  died.  With  a  kind  of  shudder  he  at  length  spoke 
of  temptations  to  commit  suicide.  "  Who  will  weep  for  me  ?" 
said  he.     "  If  I  had  but  one  friend" — and  ho  seemed  choked 


114  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVII. 

with  emotion.  The  only  thought  that  seemed  for  a  moment  to 
console  him  was  of  Him  who  feeds  the  "  young  ravens  when  they 
cry."  Never  shall  I  forget  the  mingling  of  enthusiasm  and  sor- 
row that  gushed  forth  as  we  ascended  an  eminence  command- 
ing a  distant  view  of  the  spot  which,  in  the  absence  of  the  sym- 
pathy or  love  of  the  living,  seemed  the  dearest  object  of  his 
affections.  It  was  the  simple  poetry  of  nature.  I  could  not 
but  feel  thankful  for  so  instructive  a  lesson.  How  little  ought 
those  to  murmur  who  in  mercy  never  endure  the  deeper  suf- 
ferings of  humanity ! 

A  dinner  and  a  trifle,  which  were  really  but  payment  for 
value  received,  and  which  it  would  have  been  cruelty  to  have 
withheld,  seemed  to  make  him  more  cheerful ;  and  there  was 
something  affecting  in  his  repeated  parting  salutations  from  a 
distance  as  I  whirled  away  in  the  diligence  for  Neuchatel. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  pleasantly  undu- 
lating or  hilly,  and  well  tilled.  At  last  the  blue,  calm  Lake  of 
Neuchatel,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  green  ridge  of  the  Jura, 
lay  spread  out  before  us,  and  a  little  way  up  from  the  eastern 
shore  we  caught  a  distant  view  of  Morat,  the  only  Protestant 
village  in  the  adjoining  Canton  of  Fribourg,  and  the  place  of 
the  famous  Swiss  victory  over  the  Burgundian  chivalry,  led  by 
Charles  the  Bold. 

It  was  a  very  clear  day,  and  as  we  rounded  the  northisrn  end 
of  the  lake,  and  looked  out  of  the  window  of  the  diligence,  the 
snowy  jDeaks  of  the  Bernese  Alps,  some  forty  or  fifty  miles  dis- 
tant, were  seen  with  wonderful  distinctness,  reflecting  gorge- 
ously the  declining  sun  in  a  surface  of  lights  and  shadows, 
blended  with  a  slightly  azure  tint,  and  presenting  an  aspect  not 
unlike  that  of  the  magnified  surface  of  the  full  moon  as  seen 
through  a  telescope. 

At  dusk  we  arrived  at  Neuchatel,  I  happened  to  have  a  let- 
ter of  introduction  to  one  of  those  wealthier  Swiss  families, 
whose  quiet,  roomy  mansions  are  so  numerous  in  the  suburbs 


Chap.  XVIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  115 

of  their  towns.  Their  enthusiastic  hospitaUty  I  can  not  easily 
forget.  A  carriage  excursion  along  the  lake  was  planned  and 
executed ;  some  choice  friends  were  assembled,  and  various 
expedients  were  kindly  contrived  to  make  the  newly-arrived 
stranger  happy.  This,  and  some  other  cases  in  other  places  im- 
mediately subsequent  led  me  to  form  a  high  estimate  of  the 
social  qualities  of  the  educated  classes  in  the  towns  of  French 
Switzerland.  It  is  not  strange  that  they  have  furnished  favor- 
ite retreats  to  many  eminent  literary  characters.  From  this  or 
other  causes  there  seems  to  exist  also  an  intellectual  refinement 
that  is  very  pleasing.  With  the  language  and  polished  man- 
ners of  the  French  there  appeared  to  be  blended  something  of 
German  sincerity,  and  fondness  for  music,  and  love  of  domestic 
life  and  comfort,  that  reminded  me  of  the  happy  hearths 
of  our  own  land. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Neuchdtel  to  Geneva — Savoy — Chamouny — Mer  de  Glace — A  Failure — Al- 
pine "  Curiosities  of  Literature" — Mont  Blanc  from  the  Flegere — Chamois 
Chase  with  a  Walking-Stick— The  Tete  Noire. 

Early  one  fine  morning  I  was  looking  back  somcwliat  fondly 
from  the  deck  of  the  steamer  at  Neuchatel,  and  adrnirinn:  the 
prospect  of  the  vine-clad  slopes  in  the  background,  its  houses 
rising  prettily  one  above  another,  its  neat  villas  and  the  shaded 
pleasure-ground  that  skirts  its  shore.  We  had  a  pleasant 
breezy  sail.  After  touching  at  several  villages,  we  landed  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  lake,  at  the  little  town  of  Yverdun, 
whose  castle,  in  the  spirit  of  the  age,  was  latterly  turned  into  a 
school-house,  and  occupied  by  the  celebrated  Pestalozzi.  Here 
a  huge  afl'uir,  something  between  a  diligence  and  an  omnibus, 


110  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XVIIT. 

awaited  us,  and  we  made  to  the  southward.  As  we  were  all 
"free  and  equal,"  I  preferred  a  position  on  deck,  and  thus  en- 
joyed the  view  of  the  agi'eeably  diversified  country,  till  at  length 
Lake  Geneva  lay  calmly  before  us,  and  we  descended  a  long, 
steep  declivity,  and  entered  Lausanne.  Having  a  pressing  en- 
gagement farther  on,  and  intending  to  return,  I  immediately  se- 
cured a  passage  in  the  diligence,  round  the  north  shore,  for 
Geneva. 

Night  came,  and  I  languished  awhile  in  obscurity,  tried  to  ad- 
mire the  lake  in  the  dark,  waked  up  and  rubbed  my  eyes  at 
Nyon,  the  birthplace  of  Fletcher,  and  Coppet,  the  retreat  of 
Neckar  and  Madame  de  Stael,  and  finally  reached  Geneva  in 
time  to  get  in  bed  before  daylight. 

It  was  verging  to  the  very  last  of  the  Swiss  traveling  season, 
and,  after  concentrating  my  baggage,  which  had  made  the  tour 
by  the  package-post,  in  detachments,  by  different  routes  from 
the  owner,  I  left  the  sights  of  Geneva  for  a  future  day,  and  hur- 
ried away  toward  Mont  Blanc. 

A  few  miles  out  of  Geneva,  just  after  passing  through  Chesne, 
one  of  the  largest  villages  in  the  canton,  you  cross  the  bounda- 
ries of  Savoy,  and  enter  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia.  The  road 
continued  on  through  a  less  flourishing  country  to  Bonneville, 
crossed  the  rapid  Arve  at  Bonneville,  and  again  at  Cluses,  and 
then  entered  a  long  defile  between  two  mountains.  The  roar 
of  the  river,  the  loneliness  of  certain  spots,  covered  with  trees 
and  shrubbery,  and  the  wildness  of  overhanging  cliffs,  rendered 
this  defile  a  fit  prelude  to  more  impressive  scenes.  After  pass- 
ing an  innocent  little  cataract,  which  we  were  provokingly 
directed  to  admire,  and  other  curiosities  in  a  small  way,  wo 
again  crossed  the  stream  at  St.  Martin  and  left  our  conveyance 
at  Sallenches,  the  last  place  to  which  any  vehicle,  except  the 
Swiss  char  a  hanc,  penetrates. 

Having  lost  the  magnificent  view  of  Mont  Blanc  at  the  bridge, 
on  account  of  the  haziness,  I  accompanied,  by  mvitation,  an 


Chap.  XVIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  117 

intelligent  Savoyard,  who  was  a  fellow-passenger,  a  few  miles 
farther  in  the  evening. 

French  is  still  the  prevailing  language  of  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try since  its  incorporation  with  the  empire  by  Napoleon.  My 
companion  gave  me  much  political  and  domestic  information. 
The  reigning  monarch,  Charles  Albert,  is  said  to  be  popular 
and  liberally  inclined,  but  to  be  greatly  fettered  in  reforms  by 
the  influence  of  the  clergy.  Owing  to  a  concession  made  with- 
in a  few  years,  there  is  more  religious  toleration  than  in  some 
of  the  Catholic  cantons  of  Switzerland.  Each  hamlet,  with  a 
surrounding  territory  of  a  few  square  miles,  usually  forms  what 
is  termed  a  commune,  which  is  separated  from  its  neighbor  by 
some  mountain  stream  or  other  boundary.  The  domestic  gov- 
ernment of  every  commune  is  managed  by  a  sort  of  municipal 
council  of  four  persons,  including  a  syndic  or  president,  who 
hold  office  for  a  limited  time,  and  recommend  their  successors, 
who  are  appointed  by  the  provincial  intendant.  These  village 
legislators  regulate  the  rights  of  pasturage,  the  cutting  of  tim- 
ber, the  erection  and  repairing  of  public  buildings,  and  other 
local  matters. 

A  few  loose  stones  supplied  the  place  of  bridges  over  the 
mountain  torrents  in  the  hollows  swept  by  avalanches.  Rather 
late  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  tlic  mountain-hamlet  of  Ser- 
voz,  and  my  good  friend  did  not  desert  me  till  he  had  gone 
some  distance  out  of  his  way  to  see  me  comfortably  lodged 
at  the  inn.  In  the  morning  I  resumed  a  track  that  wound 
among  precipices,  streams,  and  glens,  till  at  last  I  entered  a 
long  valley,  with  a  ridge  of  Mont  Blanc  on  one  side  and  tho 
Brevent  and  the  Flegere  on  the  other,  with  white  glaciers  here 
and  there  piled  like  immense  icebergs  against  the  foot  of  the 
former  that  extended  almost  to  the  lowest  level  of  the  vale, 
while  in  the  centre  was  the  foaming  torrent  of  the  Arve.  It 
was  Chamouny,  I  was  soon  nestled  in  my  room  at  the  hotel, 
and,  by  the  aid  of  a  fire,  trying  to  bring  on  what  the  doctora 


118  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

would  call  reaction,  after  collapse  from  a  cold  morning.  Since 
the  first  revelation  of  its  wonderful  scenery  to  the  rest  of  Europe, 
by  Messrs.  Pocock  and  Wyndham,  little  more  than  a  century 
ago,  in  place  of  the  solitary  priory,  the  annual  influx  of  strangers 
in  summer  has  created  a  thriving  village,  with  four  or  five  hotels, 
a  standing  army  of  some  fifty  or  sixty  guides  and  assistants, 
commanded  by  a  chief,  and  long-eared  cavalry  in  proportion. 
I  was,  like  a  solitary  bird  of  passage,  left  behind.  The  boys  with 
minerals,  and  the  deformed  objects  of  charity,  seemed  to  con- 
sider me  as  an  unexpected  prize.  In  fact  there  was,  in  commer- 
cial phraseology,  a  general  stagnation  of  business.  I  watched  all 
day  to  get  a  peep  at  the  monarch  of  the  Alps, 

"  On  a  throne  of  rocks,  in  a  robe  of  clouds, 
With  a  diadem  of  snow ;" 

but  he  was,  just  then,  particularly  invisible.  Winter  was  ap- 
proaching, and  the  fine  days  were  becoming  as  rare  as  the  vis- 
itors. Being  assured  by  the  guides  that  the  clouds  above  would 
not  interfere  with  the  proposed  trip,  I  started  next  day  with  one 
of  these  trusty  attendants,  and,  after  an  ascent  of  two  hours  and 
a  half  up  its  wooded  sides,  reached  the  top  of  Montanvert. 
And  there,  before  me,  with  bleak  mountains  for  shores,  lay 
the  famed  Mer  de  Glace,  like  an  arm  of  a  boisterous  sea, 
suddenly  congealed  with  icy  waves  of  varied  forms  still  lift- 
ed in  air.  The  towering  precipices,  the  reverberation  of 
falling  rocks  or  avalanches,  the  cloud-piercing  Aiguilles,  and 
the  wintry  aspect  of  all  around,  made  it  a  scene  of  wild  sub- 
limity. By  clambering  along  the  rocky  shore,  and  crossing 
over  the  greater  part  of  the  width  of  this  fi'ozen  sea,  at  some 
distance  above,  you  are  enabled  to  penetrate  deeper  into  the 
recesses  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  at  length  you  are  led  to  a  rock 
poetically  termed  "  the  garden,"  which  in  August  is  said  to  be 
adorned  with  herbage  and  flowers,  and  which  then  lies  like  a 
sunny  island  in  an  arctic  bay  surrounded  by  ice  mountains.     I 


Chap.  XVIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  113 

proceeded  part  of  the  way  to  this  spot,  when  it  became  very 
foggy,  so  as  to  spoil  the  prospect,  and  with  the  advice  of  the 
guide,  the  excursion  was,  in  legislative  style,  "  indefinitely  post- 
poned." 

I  tried,  by  the  offer  of  an  extra  fee,  to  get  the  guide  to  take  me 
across  the  Mer  de  Glace  in  a  place  where  it  is  sometimes  prac- 
ticable. He  at  last  yielded.  We  were  each  furnished  with  the 
alpenstock,  a  long  slender  pole  armed  with  an  iron  point,  and 
with  which  the  guides  and  chamois  hunters  do  such  wonders  in 
leaping  chasms  and  scaling  precipices.  It  was  really  astonish- 
ing to  see  how  my  faithful  assistant  managed  to  cross  gaping 
crevices,  slide  down  inclined  planes,  and  mount  pyramids  of  ice. 
He  gave  me  a  lift  now  with  the  hand  or  foot,  and  again  with 
the  end  of  his  mountain  staff,  and  towed  me  along  with  the 
greatest  care  imaginable,  till  we  had  achieved  about  two  thirds 
of  the  way,  when  new  difficulties  occurred,  and  he  declared  that 
we  could  not  proceed  farther  without  a  hatchet  to  cut  steps  in 
the  ice,  and  that  the  attempt  was  too  hazardous  at  that  place. 
As  travelers  are  rather  solemnly  advised  implicitly  to  obey  their 
mountain  pilots,  I  was  submissive. 

Between  the  hillocks  of  ice  are  occasionally  tunnels  and  wide 
seams  or  crevices,  in  which  water  is  trickling;  and  the  pecu- 
liarly pure  azure  tint  of  the  ice,  seen  by  looking  down  into 
them,  is  very  beautiful.  A  kind  of  beach,  termed  77iorainc,  con- 
sisting- of  a  mixture  of  gravel  and  broken  rocks,  some  of  which 
are  of  a  large  size,  by  a  slow  movement  and  the  lapse  of  years 
have  been  conveyed  upon  its  surface,  and  at  length  deposited 
at  the  sides. 

The  rude  hotel  on  the  bleak  top  of  Montanvcrt  occupies  tlie 
spot  where  once  stood  the  hut  of  loose  stones  and  turf  in  which 
Saussure  slept,  and  to  which  he  wittily  alludes  in  his  descrip- 
tion ;  and  the  cabin  erected  long  after  by  an  Engli.shman,  and 
known  as  the  Chateau  de  Blair.  The  visitors'  book,  like  those 
at  the  hotels  below,  contains  names,  readable  and  unreadable 


120  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

observations,  facetious,  insipid,  and  sentimental,  and  some  rare 
things  not  in  any  printed  edition  of  the  "  Curiosities  of  Litera- 
ture." Among  others,  I  noticed  the  names  of  a  party  of  Ger- 
man students,  from  Heidelberg ;  and  beneath  was  an  inesisti- 
bly  comic  sketch,  probably  intended  as  a  faithful  caricature  of 
one  of  their  number,  fantastically  dressed,  mounted  on  a  fully- 
developed  mule,  winding  up  the  mountain,  with  a  meditative 
countenance,  and  smoking  a  meerschaum,  whose  length  remind- 
ed one  of  distillation. 

On  returning  to  my  quarters,  I  sat  down  to  wait  for  fine 
weather.  As  the  only  guest  in  a  large  dining-saloon  for  days, 
the  operation  of  eating,  so  social  throughout  the  animal  kingdom, 
became  passive  and  lonely.  I  fancied  there  was  something  un- 
natural in  the  rattle  of  a  single  knife  and  fork.  Sabbath  came, 
and  I  went  to  the  only  place  of  religious  worship  near,  and  lis- 
tened to  a  sermon  in  praise  of  the  Virgin.  At  length,  after 
having  tried  in  vain  for  near  a  week  to  get  a  satisfactory  sight 
of  the  Mountain  King,  on  waking  up  at  three  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing, the  moon  was  shining  brightly.  I  hastily  rose  and  equip- 
ped, and,  without  stopping  for  guides  or  any  thing,  posted  off, 
determined,  if  possible,  to  mount  the  Flegere,  and  see  the  sun 
rise  upon  Mont  Blanc.  I  had  no  other  companion  but  a  faith- 
ful walking-stick,  the  object  of  an  affection  which  time  and  dis- 
tance had  only  increased.  Luckily  I  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
the  path,  and,  after  a  toilsome  ascent,  reached  the  then  unten- 
anted house  of  refreshment,  and  the  elevated  platform  whicli 
is  the  ordinary  place  of  observation.  There  was  an  elevated 
range  of  Aiguilles,  or  needle-like  peaks,  in  the  rear;  and,  like 
all  climbers,  I  wished  to  mount  higher.  After  panting  from 
steep  to  steep,  I  at  length  gained  a  satisfactory  height.  "When 
the  excitement  had  died  away,  I  was  enabled  calmly  to  survey 
the  gorgeous  prospect.  The  sun,  which  I  feared  would  be  con- 
cealed by  a  small  cloud,  at  length  beamed  upon  the  white  crest 
of  Mont  Blanc  ;  and  shortly  after,  all  around  us  and  far  away 


Chap.  XVIII. ]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  Kl 


the  tops  of  the  snowy  Alps,  as  if  by  magic,  were  flashing  in  gold. 
When  we  witness  almighty  power  in  the  boiling  ocean  that 
threatens  to  overwhelm  us,  the  mind,  distracted  by  danger,  is 
the  prey  of  various  impulses  ;  as  we  gaze  upon  the  cataract  of 
Niagara,  we  behold  a  single  object,  which,  however  stupen- 
dous, fills  not  the  field  of  vision ;  but  if  I  may  judge  from  my 
own  sensations,  the  awful  silence,  the  towering  height,  the  daz- 
zling brightness,  and  imposing  array  of  which  we  are  conscious 
upon  the  summit  of  a  range  of  snow  mountains,  are  often  still 
more  impressive. 

For  a  while  I  seemed  fixed  to  the  spot.  I  can  scarcely  now 
describe  my  various  emotions.  Our  conceptions  of  things  are 
fi-equently  modified  by  accidental  circumstances.  I  had  just 
previously  received  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  an  intimate 
young  friend,  of  great  promise.  The  recollection  of  the  most 
manly  virtues  and  amiable  qualities  can  scarcely  console  us  for 
the  loss  of  genius  that  falls  by  its  own  ardor.  Except  when 
diverted  by  some  new  scene,  I  felt  unusually  sad.  Never, 
perhaps,  does  the  heart  so  fondly  claim  a  beautiful  earthly 
vision  as  revealing  the  Father  of  mercies  as  when  oppressed  by 
affliction.  There  was  consolation  in  the  splendor  around  me. 
Overlooking  the  scenery  so  sublimely  described  in  Coleridge's 
Hymn  at  Sunrise  in  the  Vale  of  Chamouny,  one  could  scarcely 
help  inwardly  responding  to  its  breathings.  Just  opposite, 
across  the  valley,  like  a  frozen  wall  of  waters  closing  a  mount- 
ain glen,  was  the  termination  of  the  I\Ier  de  Glace;  from 
beneath  which  gushed  the  Ai-veron,  and  rolled  on  till  it  united 
with  the  An^e.  As  the  eye  turned  northward  it  rested  upon  the 
glittering  peaks  far  over  the  Col  de  Balm,  in  the  Canton  of 
Vallais.  Eastward,  before  me,  were  the  lofty,  clearly-defined 
Aiguilles  Dru  and  Verte,  and  the  forest-clad  face  of  Montan- 
verte  ;  and  farther  on,  towering  above  all  its  rivals,  was  the 
dome  of  Mont  Blanc. 

Wishing,  if  possible,  to  get  a  western  view,  I  left  my  position, 

F 


122  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

and  crossed  a  glacier  which  was  concealed  fiom  below,  but 
was  arrested  by  the  ridge  of  high  rocks  and  peaks  before  men- 
tioned. While  I  was  deliberating,  the  sky  became  overcast, 
and  it  commenced  snowing.  As  I  happened  to  look  back,  just 
along  the  lower  edge  of  the  glacier,  and  within  easy  rifle-shot, 
was  a  slender  iron-gray  animal,  much  of  the  shape  and  size  of 
a  goat,  with  a  share  of  the  symmetry  and  agility  of  a  deer, 
now  bounding  lightly  a  few  steps,  and  then  snuffing  the  air 
suspiciously,  as  if  conscious  there  was  "  something  in  the  wind." 
It  was  a  chamois.  Had  I  anticipated  my  good  luck,  I  might 
have  saved  myself  the  trouble  of  visiting  the  half-grown  tame 
one  exhibited  below.  This,  as  I  afterward  learned,  was  one  of 
their  favorite  haunts,  and  by  a  mere  accident  it  had  crossed  my 
path.  Thinking  to  observe  its  speed,  of  which  I  had  heard  so 
much,  I  gave  it  a  respectful  noisy  salute,  and  it  flew  up  the 
rocks  with  astonishing  swiftness  and  ease.  With  the  intention 
of  examining  its  track,  I  hastened  to  the  spot  where  it  left  the 
glacier,  and  was  surprised  to  find  that  its  instinct  had  discovered 
an  unobserved  path  up  the  precipice  possibly  practicable  for 
me.  So,  after  clambering  on  my  hands  and  knees,  and  insinu- 
ating my  walking-stick  into  the  crevices  for  support  once  or 
twice,  I  succeeded  in  gaining  the  ridge,  and  reached  a  point  to 
which  I  had  before  aspired  in  vain.  But  the  chamois  had  dis- 
appeared. 

On  descending  to  the  hotel,  I  visited  the  source  of  the  Ar- 
veron,  and  was  soon  after  threading  the  wild  glens,  amid  the 
roaring  torrents  and  mountains — now  bleak  and  bald,  and  now 
clothed  with  dark  forests  of  fir — that  form  the  peculiar  features 
of  the  passage  from  Chamouny  to  the  Valley  of  the  Rhone,  by 
the  Tete  Noire.  There  are  tunnels  cut  for  the  path  in  the 
solid  rock,  over  abysses  that  are  really  fearful.  A  violent  rain- 
storm overtook  me,  and  I  took  shelter  for  the  night  at  a  little 
apology  for  an  inn.     Next  morning  I  arrived  at  Martigny. 


Chap.  XIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  123 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Distemt  Beauty — Tho  Vallais — St.  Bernard — Cliillon — Lausanne — Lake 
Geneva — Revolution. 

From  Martigny  I  took  the  route  up  the  valley  of  the  Drance 
for  St.  Bernard.  It  was  a  sunny  day,  that  strangely  contiasted 
with  the  preceding ;  and  the  warmer  vegetation,  and  declin- 
ing symptoms  of  vineyards  at  the  commencement,  had  some- 
thing of  a  cheery  aspect,  though  the  scenery  in  comparison  had 
little  of  interest.  With  some  of  the  smaller  and  more  remote 
Swiss  villages,  as  with  the  famed  Turkish  capital,  "  'tis  distance 
lends  enchantment  to  the  view." 

The  houses  of  the  peasantry  are  usually  rather  neatly  con- 
stiiicted,  either  of  wood,  something  in  the  manner  of  the  better 
class  of  hewn  timber  dwellings  of  our  own  western  country, 
or  of  stone,  with  plastered  and  white  walls,  that  in  a  gi'cen  ^  al- 
ley, surrounded  with  frozen  Alps,  or  up<jn  an  elevated  platform, 
contrasting  with  bare  rocks  and  dark  firs,  have  a  picturesque 
effect.  There  is,  too,  an  air  of  rural  simplicity  and  prcttiness  in 
their  uniformly-projecting  roofs.  By  chance,  also,  you  meet 
some  of  the  peasant  women  in  tlie  vicinity,  dressed  for  a  holy- 
day,  and  you  are  stmck  with  their  lively  costumes,  unchanged 
for  generations,  varying  in  diflercnt  cantons.  The  headdress 
of  the  Vallais  is  indeed  quite  artistical.  But  when,  as  some- 
times occurs,  more  especially  in  this  region,  upon  your  near 
approach,  you  are  shocked  with  tlie  appearance  of  idiot  Cretins, 
with  lobulated,  unsightly  necks,  basking  in  the  sun,  some  of 
whom  have  been  taught  just  enough  to  liold  out  the  hand  for 
alms,  and  utter  uncouth  sounds — when  you  find  men  and  ani- 


124  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XIX. 

mals  occasionally  dwelling  harmoniously  under  the  same  roof — 
when,  as  you  struggle  through  a  narrow,  filthy  passage,  answer- 
ing to  what  is  elsewhere  a  street,  your  olfactories  are  saluted 
with  a  compound  of  **  villainous  smells" — much  of  the  romance 
is  lost. 

After  passing  through  three  or  four  villages  of  various  sizes, 
1  at  length  came  to  St.  Pierre,  the  highest  this  side  of  St. 
Bernard.  It  was  among  the  windings  and  rocks  in  a  forest 
just  above  this,  in  the  crooked  road,  now  superseded  by  the 
improved  route  cut  by  the  enterprising  Vallaisans,  that  Napo- 
leon is  said  to  have  encountered  the  greatest  difficulties  in 
transporting  the  cannon  for  his  extraordinary  expedition. 

A  few  miles  beyond  St.  Pierre,  just  as  it  was  getting  dark,  I 
supped  at  a  little  rude  inn,  the  last  habitation.  Three  Italians, 
drinking  and  playing  cards,  who  looked  desperate  enough  to 
be  the  heroes  of  tales  such  as  I  had  just  before  heard,  eyed  me 
rather  closely.  From  an  unjust  prejudice,  perhaps,  I  did  not 
care  to  sleep  there,  or  to  trust  myself  to  a  guide  fiom  the  estab- 
lishment. Being  a  little  pressed  for  time,  I  determined  to  push 
on  alone  to  the  Hospice.  Listening  occasionally  for  unwel- 
come visitors  in  my  rear,  I  traveled  as  rapidly  as  possible,  so  as 
to  feel  less  the  intense  cold.  Once  or  twice  I  missed  my  way 
among  the  rocks  in  the  dark,  but  soon  righted  again.  At  last, 
just  as  I  was  in  one  of  the  wildest  parts,  at  a  sudden  turn,  I 
was  startled  with  the  sound  of  human  voices,  and  immediately 
a  dozen  men  were  right  upon  me.  It  was  a  party  of  Savoyard 
militia,  returning  unarmed  from  drill  by  a  more  convenient  route 
across  part  of  the  Swiss  territory  to  their  homes.  The  lonely 
stone  cabins,  placed  by  the  roadside  to  receive  the  dead  bodies 
found  in  winter,  seemed  to  have  a  ghostly  air  about  them.  At 
length,  to  my  great  relief,  the  moon  rose,  and  displayed  rocks 
and  ice  hills  around  in  savage  grandeur.  I  could  then  see 
the  high  posts  set  to  mark  the  road  through  storms  and  snow 
drifts. 


Chap.  XIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  125 

After  crossing  some  beds  of  snow,  I  at  length  saw  gleaming 
on  a  height  above  me  the  welcome  light  of  the  Hospice.  I 
was  thoroughly  wearied  and  chilled,  and  the  warm  room,  sea- 
sonable refreshment,  and  comfortable  bed,  which  I  soon  enjoyed, 
were  luxuiies  indeed.  Next  morning  I  breakfasted  with  the 
monks,  in  company  with  two  other  travelers.  The  Clavandier, 
whose  business  it  is  to  entertain  guests,  presided.  It  was 
scarcely  possible  to  receive  more  courteous  treatment,  and  many 
interesting  details  were  freely  and  kindly  given. 

The  main  building  is  of  stone,  strong  and  massive,  with 
double  windows,  capable  of  accommodating  some  eighty  per- 
sons with  beds,  and  three  times  that  number  with  shelter.  It 
is  situated  on  the  very  summit  of  the  pass,  where  the  snow 
annually  averages  seven  or  eight  feet,  and  not  far  from  the  site 
of  an  ancient  temple  of  Jupiter.  To  beguile  the  traveler 
detained  by  a  stormy  day,  it  contains  a  drawing-room,  a 
piano  presented  by  a  lady,  a  natural  history  cabinet,  a  libraiy, 
a  few  journals,  and  a  chapel,  in  which  is  a  monument  erect- 
ed to  General  Dessaix  by  Napoleon,  after  the  battle  of  Ma- 
rengo. 

Their  race  of  dogs,  so  celebrated,  is  said  to  be  related  to  the 
Newfoundland  and  Pyrenean  breeds,  and  more  than  once  has 
been  nearly  extinct. 

A  sei-vant  conducted  me  to  the  Morgue,  a  small  separate 
structure,  used  as  an  open  sepulchre  for  the  dead.  It  is  fur- 
nished with  a  grating  to  admit  the  light,  and  the  drying  and 
petrifying  air;  and  here  for  recognition,  with  their  clothes  upon 
them,  and  in  the  attitudes  in  which  they  have  been  frozen,  are 
placed  the  bodies  of  those  found  buried  in  the  snow.  Without 
putrefying  in  this  elevated  icy  region,  they  undergo  a  kind  of 
dry  decomposition.  The  effect  is  very  ghastly.  The  flesh, 
hanging  in  tatters  upon  tlic  skeletons,  garnished  with  decayed 
shreds  of  clothing,  and  resting  upon  bones,  the  deposit  of  cen- 


126  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  fCHAP.  XIX. 

tuiies — the  occasional  white  color  of  the  latter  contrasting  with 
the  blackened  mummy-like  faces,  that  grin  upon  you  like  death 
phantoms — give  this  place  peculiar  hoiTors.  Among  the  rest 
was  the  deeply-touching  spectacle  of  the  bodies  of  a  mother 
and  child,  found  frozen,  and  clasped  tenderly  together. 

The  monks,  usually  ten  or  twelve  in  number,  are  of  the  or- 
der of  St.  Augustine,  and  wear  a  neat  and  becoming  black 
dress.  They  are  quite  young,  and  possess  an  intelligence  and 
polish  of  manners,  from  constant  intercourse  with  the  traveling 
world,  quite  different  from  persons  of  this  class  ordinarily. 

Whatever  may  be  our  prejudices  against  a  system  generally, 
the  liberal-minded  must  be  glad  to  find  such  pleasing  excep- 
tions and  redeeming  features  ;  and  we  can  not  but  admire  the 
heroism  and  self-denial  of  men  who  thus  bury  themselves 
in  this  perilous  and  bleak  situation  solely  to  succor  the  dis- 
tressed. 

Although  no  return  is  ever  asked,  yet  as  a  great  many  of  the 
poor  Swiss  and  Italian  peasantry  are  gratuitously  relieved,  as 
their  hospitality  is  indiscriminately  extended  to  those  of  every 
faith,  and  as  they  subsist  now  almost  entirely  by  voluntary  con- 
tribution, few  who  can  afford  it  ever  leave  without  dropping  an 
offering  into  the  proper  receptacle,  equaling,  if  not  exceeding 
the  value  of  their  entertainment. 

Returning,  I  took  passage  a  few  miles  below  in  a  char  a  hanc. 
This  singular  vehicle  is  peculiar  to  Switzerland,  and  from  its 
narrowness  and  lowness  is  better  fitted  for  the  mountains  than 
any  other.  Imagine  a  small  sofa,  set  lengthvnse  upon  four 
wheels,  with  a  leather  cover  stretched  over  it,  which  rides  side- 
ways, like  the  passenger,  while  a  kind  of  box  concern,  let  down 
between  the  fore  and  hind  wheels,  supports  your  feet  within  a 
foot  or  so  of  the  ground,  and  you  have  a  tolerable  idea  of  its 
construction.  In  the  evening  I  arrived  at  St.  Maurice,  and  next 
morning  I  crossed  the  Rhone,  here  a  sluggish  river,  and  entered 


Chap.  XIX.]  LOITERTNGS  IN  EUROrE.  127 

the  Canton  de  Vaud.  A  striking  improvement  in  the  cleanli- 
ness and  comfort  of  the  population  was  evident.  After  passing 
through  Aigle,  we  at  length  came  to  Villeneuve,  at  the  temiina- 
tion  of  Lake  Geneva.  But  owing  to  the  revolution  which  had 
broken  out  in  Geneva  a  day  or  two  before,  the  steamei-s  had 
stopped  running,  and  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  Lausanne.  Not 
far  from  Villeneuve,  on  a  rock  in  the  lake,  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  pleasing  shore,  stands  the  Castle  of  Chillon,  its 
white  walls  springing,  as  it  were,  from  the  waves,  are  quite 
conspicuous  from  every  part  of  this  end  of  the  lake  and  the  sur- 
rounding shores.  The  fortress,  as  is  well  known,  was  built  by 
the  Duke  of  Savoy  some  three  centuries  before  the  Reforma- 
tion, and  at  the  latter  period  was  used  as  a  state  prison,  where 
were  long  immured  the  reformer  Bonnivard  and  other  victims 
of  persecuting  ci-uelty.  As  I  trod  its  damp,  dark  vaults — 
saw  upon  the  walls  the  dim  traces  of  the  figures  which  the 
condemned  in  their  weary  hours  had  drawn — gazed  upon 
the  black  beam  in  a  deep  cell,  fi'om  which  they  were  stealth- 
ily strangled,  or  stood  by  the  trap-door  where,  perhaps,  con- 
ducted in  the  silent  night  by  a  light  that  shone  upon  grim 
faces,  the  prisoner  took  one  step,  uttered  a  wild  shriek,  and 
a  moment  after  lay  quivering  and  bleeding  far  below,  one  man- 
gled mass,  feelings  came  over  me  such  as  had  been  inspired  by 
no  other  scene.  I  thought,  too,  as  I  descended  to  the  dun- 
geon of  Bonnivard,  deep  in  the  solid  rock,  and  heard  the 
waves  with  a  dismal  sound,  as  of  a  knell,  beating  against  the 
walls,  put  my  hand  upon  the  stone  pillar,  felt  the  cold,  mas- 
sive ring  to  which  for  six  weary  yeai-s  he  had  been  chained, 
and  put  my  foot  into  the  tracks  which,  to  half  its  depth,  he  had 
worn  in  the  unyielding  rock,  that  there  flashed  upon  me  some 
faint  realization  of  his  sensations.  How  wildly  must  his  heart 
have  beaten  when  he  first  heard  the  oars  of  the  Genevese  gal- 
leys !  How  the  hope  that  had  died  within  him  must  have 
thrilled  as  he  listened  to  their  assailing  cries  in  the  din  of  bat- 


128  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XIX, 

tie,  answered  by  the  shouts  of  the  allied  Bernese  upon  land  \ 
And  when  at  last  his  deliverers  rushed  into  his  prison  to  knock 
off  his  chains,  and  bring  him  foith  to  beautiful  day,  how  joyfully 
must  he  have  been  agitated  at  the  wonderful  intelligence  that 
in  the  years  he  had  been  unconsciously  dreaming  there  Ge- 
neva had  become  Protestant  and  free  ! 

Perhaps  my  own  impressions  were  the  more  warm  from  the 
accidental  circumstance,  that  almost  in  childhood  I  had,  with 
the  early  faith  that  transforms  the  imaginative  creations  of  the 
poet  into  living  realities,  read  the  "  Prisoner  of  Chillon,"  and  I 
still  had  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  cold  shudder  that  came  over 
me. 

I  had  been  affected  almost  to  tears  at  the  agonizing  picture 
of  the  death  of  the  gentle  and  beautiful  younger  brother,  his 
"  martyred  father's"  favorite,  and  his  "mother's  image,"  and  the 
frantic  desperation  embodied  in  the  passage : 

"  I  called,  and  thought  I  heard  a  sound. 
I  burst  my  chain  wdth  one  strong  bound, 
And  rushed  to  him  : — I  found  him  not, 
I  only  stin-ed  in  this  black  spot, 
/  only  lived — /  only  drew 
The  accursed  breath  of  dungeon  dew/' 

The  scenery  all  along  the  shore  to  Lausanne  was  exquisitely 
bright  and  beautiful.  The  contrast  of  the  stern  opposite  coast 
of  Savoy,  the  blue  expanding  lake,  the  white  houses  and  orna- 
mented seats  about  Montreux  and  Clarens,  the  sunny  shore 
pleasantly  rising  from  the  clear  waters,  and  garnished  with  her- 
bage, vines,  and  trees,  the  amphitheatres  and  extensive  slopes 
about  Vevay,  all  covered  with  vineyards,  presented  a  succession 
of  singularly  lovely  combinations. 

My  hotel  at  Lausanne  happened  to  be  not  far  from  the  site 
of  the  summer-house  where  Gibbon  finished  his  history. 

During  a  delightful  sojourn  of  a  few  days,  I  was  so  happy 


Chap.  XIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  129 

as  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  daughter  of  the  celebrated 
blind  naturalist,  Huber,  an  elderly  lady  of  great  intelligence 
and  worth,  as  also  of  a  much-respected  Wesleyan  missionaiy, 
known  as  one  of  their  earliest  laborers  in  France,  since  banish- 
ed by  a  decree  of  the  authorities  of  Lausanne  for  doing  good — 
and  one  of  the  most  influential  and  beloved  of  the  ejected  Vau- 
dois  pastors.  I  shall  never  forget  worshiping  in  a  private  house 
with  a  company  of  the  Free  Church  of  this  Protestant  can- 
ton, who,  less  fortunate  than  their  brethren  in  Scotland,  dared 
not  even  sing,  fn-  fear  of  interruption  from  the  intolerant  mob 
without. 

It  was  a  pleasant  day  as  in  the  steamer  we  were  gliding  over 
the  bosom  of  the  lake,  so  celebrated  in  history  and  song ;  and  the 
different  aspects  of  the  Savoy  and  Swiss  coasts  were  as  charac- 
teristic as  those  of  the  people.  But  all  was  excitement.  A  civil 
war  had  just  terminated  in  Geneva,  and  we  were  little  disposed 
for  sentimental  speculation.  Duiing  my  absence  a  revolution 
had  changed  the  government,  and  when  I  arrived  the  streets 
every  where  exhibited  armed  men  and  placards.  A  distin- 
guished medical  gentleman  kindly  invited  me  to  visit  the 
wounded  with  him  in  the  hospital.  It  was  a  melancholy  sight. 
These  unpleasant  associations  were,  however,  greatly  relieved 
by  the  kind  attentions  and  hospitalities  of  Dr.  iNIerle  D'Aubigne, 
Drs.  Malan  and  Scherer,  and  other  members  of  that  deliiihtful 
literary  circle  for  which  Geneva  is  so  famed. 

After  visiting  the  place  where  the  waters  of  the  Ehone,  so 
wonderfully  blue  and  limpid,  refuse  for  a  long  time  to  unite 
with  those  of  the  turbid  Ai-ve,  which  ever  after  pollutes  them, 
I  began  anxiously  to  think  of  choosing  one  of  the  three  diflerent 
routes  for  Italy. 

Taking  the  malleposte,  with  a  worthy  French  Protestant 
minister,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  previously  made  at  the 
house  of  a  friend,  I  was  soon  on  the  rond  to  Lyons.  It  was 
getting  too   dark    for   us   clearly  to   see  the   place   where   the 


130  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XX. 

Klione  buries  itself  under  ground,  and,  in  the  literal  rendering 
of  a  French  hon  mot,  "  The  loss  of  the  Rhone  was  lost."  Next 
moraing,  before  it  was  light,  we  were  set  down  in  the  streets 
of  Lyons. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Lyons — Misty  Visions — Sad  Memorials — The  Rhone — ^Avignon — Ragged  Es- 
cort— Palace  of  the  Popes — The  Inquisition. 

Our  affections,  like  most  uncertain  things,  are  doubtless 
much  under  the  influence  of  the  weather.  There  was  brood- 
ing over  Lyons,  the  morning  of  our  arrival,  a  peculiar  mixture 
of  fog  and  smoke,  highly  efficacious  in  making  darkness  visible, 
and  it  impressed  me  gloomily.  Not  long  after,  it  began  to  rain 
heavily  at  what  might  be  termed  the  angle  of  penetration,  and 
our  meditations  in  the  open  air  were  sadly  disturbed.  When 
the  storm  had  abated  a  little,  I  set  out  upon  a  tour  of  observa- 
tion. Plunging  into  the  most  densely-populated  region  of  that 
portion  constituting  the  body  of  the  city,  upon  the  flat  tongue 
of  land  between  the  Rhone  and  the  Saone,  I  was  soon  amid 
the  dwellings  of  the  poorer  classes.  Fancy  immense  high 
houses,  all  dingy  and  black,  huddled  closely  so  as  to  allow  but 
narrow,  offensive  lanes  between,  built  as  if  purposely  to  exclude 
the  air  and  the  light  of  heaven,  and  crowded  like  prisons,  and 
you  have  a  picture  of  the  dwellings  of  the  operatives  of  the  City 
of  Silks. 

Lyons,  it  will  be  remembered,  suffered  terribly  in  the  French 
Revolution.  The  leading  facts  are,  doubtless,  familiar;  but  there 
are  sad  memorials  still  pointed  out  to  the  visitor  that  recall  some 
of  its  incidents  with  strange  freshness,  and  traditions  related, 
that  ordinary  history  has  scarcely  preserved  in  their  fullness, 


Chap.  XX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  131 

Conscious  that  they  had  mortally  oflbiitled  the  revolutionary 
tribunal  of  Paris,  and  of  their  doom  if  conquered,  the  inhabi- 
tants defended  themselves  for  a  long  time  with  the  most  des- 
perate bravery.  But  the  assault  vv^as  fearfully  relentless.  When 
the  hospital  containing  the  sick  and  the  dying  was  set  on  fire 
by  the  red-hot  shot  that  were  showered  upon  the  city,  the  signal 
raised  to  excite  the  humanity  of  the  assailants  only  drew  a 
heavier  fire.  The  hotel  where  I  lodged  happened  to  be  close 
to  the  public  square,  said  to  be  the  largest  in  Europe,  where 
the  infamous  Couthon,  carried  about  on  a  litter,  gave  the  sign 
for  the  demolition  of  houses  by  striking  with  a  hammer  upon 
each  door.  But  the  spot  with  the  most  melancholy  associations 
is  that  where  these  ministers  of  cruelty,  fatigued  with  the  slow- 
ness of  the  ordinary  methods  of  execution,  invented  a  homd 
refinement.  Under  the  superintendence  of  Collot  d'Herbois  a 
party  of  prisoners,  two  thousand  in  number,  were  tied,  sixty  at 
a  time,  to  a  cable,  in  a  row ;  two  cannons  charged  with  grape- 
shot  were  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  and  the  quivering  vic- 
tims that  remained  with  too  much  life  after  the  third  discharge, 
were  then  dispatched  with  bayonets  and  sabres. 

Toward  evening  I  took  a  walk  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
heights  overlooking  one  side  of  the  city,  and  fiom  the  more 
pleasant  outskirts  the  town  gained  upon  me. 

The  sabbath  morning  following  I  was  privileged  to  listen  to 
a  delightful  sermon  from  a  French  Protestant  pastor,  whom  I 
had  met  on  an  interesting  occa.sion  in  London.  His  kind  rec- 
ognition, the  hospitable  circle  to  which  he  gave  introduction, 
and  the  new  and  pleasant  associations  that  were  created,  made 
me  resolve  not  to  be  too  hasty  in  judging  of  every  thing  in  a 
place  again  upon  a  cloudy  day. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  next  morning  wo  were  steaming  at  a 
furious  rate  down  the  Rhone.  Its  shallowness,  width,  rapidity, 
and  scenery  in  ])laces,  remind  one  of  the  Loire.  Our  filthy 
cruft  was  laden  with  a  mountain  of  merchandise  and  baggage, 


132  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chaf.  XX. 

and  enlivened  by  a  party  of  soldiers  apparently  on  their  way  to 
Toulon  and  Algiers  ;  Frenchmen  with  curious  caps,  looking 
like  Italians;  traveling  representatives  of  sunny  Italy,  with  a 
fierce,  careless  air,  as  if  their  ancestors  had  worn  the  turban; 
and  a  party  of  quiet  English,  and  a  collection  of  minor  characters 
sufficient  to  relieve  the  tediousness  of  the  paroxysm  of  the  storm, 
of  which  we  enjoyed  but  a  brief  morning  intermission.  The  old 
churches  and  castles  frowned  more  darkly ;  and  the  vine-clad  hills, 
white  chateaux,  and  towns  and  villages  scattered  here  and  there 
in  such  a  medium,  lost  some  of  their  brightness.  Either  drought 
or  a  freshet  affects  the  navigation  of  the  stream.  Swollen  by 
the  recent  rains,  it  was  just  then  spreading  out  here  and  there 
to  a  great  width,  and  half  burying  the  willows  upon  its  banks, 
and  we  began  to  entertain  fears  as  to  whether  we  could  still 
pass  beneath  the  suspension-biidges.  There  seemed  also  to  be 
an  anxious  bustle  of  the  people  on  shore,  as  if  they  feared  a 
repetition  of  the  devastating  flood  of  six  years  before. 

The  little  ancient  city  of  Vienne,  remembered  for  its  settle- 
ment of  early  Christians ;  Valence,  with  its  souvenirs  of  the 
youth  of  Napoleon ;  and  St.  Esprit,  with  its  bridge  of  the  mid- 
dle ages,  built  by  a  process  corresponding  to  its  great  length, 
from  the  offerings  of  devotees,  passed  successively  in  the  dim- 
ness before  us  ;  and  at  evening  steam,  with  a  jDowerful  cur- 
rent, had  brought  us  far  south,  abreast  of  the  thick  walls  and 
imposing  old  ruins  of  Avignon.  A  fierce,  ragged  detach- 
ment, with  clamors  and  gesticulations  that  reminded  one  of 
the  stories  of  shipwrecks  on  barbarous  shores,  carried  off  the 
baggage  in  triumph,  and  I  meekly  followed  to  the  hotel.  The 
city  is  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  Rhone,  and  the  streets  in 
many  places  were  nearly  impassable  from  inundation.  I  had 
promised  a  friend,  some  weeks  previous,  to  meet  him  at  the 
house  of  a  wealthy  English  gentleman,  who  had  become  nat- 
uralized to  the  city  by  long  residence,  and  to  whom  I  happened 
to  have  a  note  of  introduction.     He  was  living  in  princely  style 


Chap.  XX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  133 

in  the  former  residence  of  one  of  the  old  nobility.  Next  day 
nothing  would  satisfy  our  generous  host  but  I  must  decamp 
and  take  up  my  quarters  with  him  for  a  few  days.  Soon  the 
weather  became  fine,  the  cool,  dry  mistral,  a  periodical  wind  of 
these  regions,  began  to  blow,  and  the  waters  abated. 

As  I  sallied  forth  each  bright  morning,  the  remarkable  quiet 
of  the  city,  the  cleanness  of  the  streets  for  a  French  provincial 
town,  and  the  cheerfulness  that  beamed  from  flashing  eyes  and 
bronzed  faces  pleased  me.  The  old  walls  around  the  court- 
yards and  gardens,  so  still  and  dreary,  seemed,  as  in  the  Eastern 
tales  of  concealed  magnificence,  to  be  hiding  something  beau- 
tiful. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  Avignon  was  a  papal  residence  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  it  was  under 
the  agreeable  inspirations  to  which  I  have  referred  that  I  started 
one  fine  morning,  in  company  with  a  friend,  to  visit  the  palace  of 
the  popes.  The  site  is  upon  a  commanding  platform  of  rock 
overlooking  the  rest  of  the  town.  In  the  spirit  of  the  age  of  its 
erection  the  heavy  pile  that  frowns  upon  you  as  you  approach 
seems  to  combine  in  one  group  the  purposes  of  a  palace,  a 
fortress,  a  church,  and  a  pnson.  Running  out  as  from  a  wing 
of  its  fortifications  are  still  the  crumbling  arches  of  a  private 
bridge  across  the  river,  and  a  secret  passage  is  said  formerly  to 
have  led  to  the  castle  on  the  opposite  shore.  The  gloomy  old 
palace,  with  its  immense  thick  walls,  is  now  occupicil  as  a  bar- 
rack, and  the  soldiers  were  burnishing  their  arms,  and  amusing 
themselves  in  its  halls,  as  if  they  cared  little  who  had  been  its 
former  occupants.  Priests,  and  a  solitary  woi-shiper  or  two, 
were  chanting  their  sen'ices  in  the  dimly-lighted  cathedral. 
The  exterior  rudeness  of  the  architecture  of  the  whole  seemed 
indicative  of  the  decline  of  the  arts  at  that  period,  and  beyond 
its  rich  associations  there  was  little  of  interest. 

Presently  we  were  shown  a  lofty  square  tower,  with  black 
stains  plainly  visible  upon  its  inner  surface.     In  tlie  frenzy  of  the 


134  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XX. 

Revolution,  some  sixty  persons,  men,  women,  and  priests,  dying 
and  dead,  were  hurled  from  the  top  of  this  tower,  and  buried  in 
quicklime,  and  the  splash  of  their  blood  against  the  walls  had 
produced  the  ineffaceable  stains  upon  which  we  had  gazed. 
Yet  this  was  the  work  of  political  fanatics,  goaded  on  by  the  op- 
pression of  centuries — of  men  who  openly  professed  themselves 
enemies  of  Christianity.  But  we  were  soon  amid  the  memo- 
rials of  a  cruelty  diabolical  in  its  deliberateness,  and  perpetrated 
in  the  name  of  religion  herself  We  were  in  the  prisons  of  the 
Inquisition.  There  were  the  narrow,  dark,  stone  cells,  where 
the  prisoners  were  first  left  for  forty-eight  hours,  to  shake  their 
fortitude  ;  there  was  the  place  of  the  sittings  of  the  terrible  tri^ 
bunal ;  and  there  were  the  contrivances  to  hear  the  agonized 
sufferer's  whispers  as  evidence  against  him.  Could  the  cold 
stones  which  we  touched  have  related  all  they  had  witnessed 
of  the  deeds  of  men  more  obdurate  than  they — could  they  have 
given  a  sum  total  of  the  tears,  the  prayers,  the  groans,  and  the 
blood  that  had  there  been  expended,  it  would,  doubtless,  have 
been  an  appalling  revelation.  But  without  this  they  were  sad 
indications  enough.  Strange  feelings  came  over  me  as  I  stood 
in  the  chamber  of  torture.  It  was  constructed  so  as  to  stifle 
the  sound  of  the  victim's  cries.  There  was  still  the  place  of  the 
lacerating  stake  over  which  he  was  suspended,  and  the  furnace 
in  the  wall  to  heat  the  torturing-irons.  Man  had  dared  to  pre- 
scribe the  relation  which  should  exist  between  his  brother  and 
his  God,  and  consummated  the  wrong  by  shedding  his  blood ; 
and  all  this  had  been  done  in  the  name  of  Him  who  taught  his 
disciples  to  love  even  their  enemies,  and  who  sojourned  on 
earth  but  to  heal  and  to  bless !  Surely  the  followers  even  of 
the  faith  thus  abused  must  rejoice  that  these  are  but  things  of 
the  past,  and  that  we  live  in  a  happier  day. 


Chap.  XXL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  135 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Exuberance — Vaucluse — Niemes — Roman  Antiquities — Pont  du  Gard — 
Marseilles — Marine  Discovery — Bay  of  Genoa. 

It  was  one  of  the  balmiest  days  of  the  south,  as  a  fiiend  and 
I  rode  over  the  plain  from  Avignon  on  a  sentimental  pilgrimage 
to  the  Fountain  of  Petrarch,  at  Vaucluse.  Even  the  dead 
green  foliage  of  the  olive-trees,  like  stunted  w^illows  planted 
thickly  every  where,  seemed  brighter  than  usual.  My  light- 
hearted  friend  was  perfectly  exuberant.  Not  an  appropriate 
eigh,  not  a  touching  quotation  escaped  his  lips.  It  was  per- 
fectly useless  to  stem  the  current  of  his  joyous  spirit.  I  fancy 
that  if  Laura  herself  had  been  in  the  act  of  reading  one  of  the 
tenderest  sonnets  of  her  poet  lover,  and  caught  the  mischievous 
twinkle  that  lurked  in  the  eye  of  my  companion,  and  listened 
to  his  amusing  drollery,  she  would  have  unbecomingly  smiled. 
The  spirited  steed,  the  dogs,  the  driver,  and  the  noisy  urchins 
by  the  roadside,  were  just  then  fair  specimens  of  "  animated 
nature."  Half  a  dozen  leagues  were  soon  passed ;  we  were 
presently  in  a  more  barren,  uneven  country;  and  on  being  told 
to  look  forward  to  the  spot,  I  could  see  nothing  but  bare  rocks 
and  hills.  At  length  we  came  to  a  little  river  that  made  a  gap 
in  the  latter,  and,  winding  along  its  banks,  we  were  not  long  in 
coming  to  a  charming  green  spot  inclosed  by  surrounding  hills, 
like  the  happy  valley  of  Rasselas.     It  was  Vaucluse. 

I  left  all  the  arrangements  to  ray  excellent  friend,  as  familiar 
with  the  place,  and  possibly,  from  poetical  considerations,  or 
the  reputation  of  its  trout  dinners,  he  decided  that  we  should 
rest  at  the  Hotel  de  Pctrarque  et  Laure.  From  the  barren 
ledges  above,  and  the  intermediate  terraces  of  olives,  the  trees, 
grass,  and  flowers  assumed  a  deeper  and  deeper  hue  till  they 


136  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXI. 

approached  the  brink  of  the  stream.  It  had  a  fahy  aspect,  like 
one  of  those  representations  created  by  the  imagination  of  the 
painter,  in  its  playful  moments,  when  it  would  embody  ideal 
beauty  in  what  are  termed  fancy  scenes.  We  traced  the  course 
of  the  Sorgues,  now  leaping  prettily  from  ledge  to  ledge,  now 
whirling  in  eddies,  and  again  showing  every  pebble  and  speck- 
led tenant  of  its  limpid  waters,  till  we  turned  around  a  little 
eminence,  and  there,  beneath  the  shadow  of  a  precipice,  clear, 
calm,  and  beautiful  as  the  creation  of  a  poet's  dream,  lay  Pe- 
trarch's fountain.  It  is  a  circular  basin  some  half  a  dozen  rods 
in  diameter,  one  of  nature's  excavations  in  the  rock,  and  in  that 
sheltered  retreat  its  surface  is  ever  tranquil  as  a  mirror.  The 
winding  river  so  wonderfully  fed  from  its  brim,  the  overhanging 
precipice,  the  rich  verdure  below  fading  away  to  rows  of  the 
fig,  almond,  and  olive,  and  contrasting  with  the  bleak,  barren 
summits  above,  formed  a  novel  and  pleasing  combination.  In- 
dependent of  the  associations  thrown  around  it  by  the  genius 
of  the  enamored  bard,  there  is  a  mystery  about  its  source  that 
invests  it  with  additional  interest.  Why  is  it  so  unfathomably 
deep  ■?  Why  are  its  waters  so  pure  ]  And  why  does  it  some- 
times seem  to  eject  quantities  of  finny  inhabitants  1  These 
questions  have  given  rise  to  a  corresponding  amount  of  roman- 
tic speculation.  Some  have  thought  it  to  be  the  natural  outlet 
to  some  reservoir  in  the  mountains,  and  others,  with  a  faith  wor- 
thy of  the  ancients,  have  even  fancied  that  it  might  be  connected 
with  Lake  Geneva.  If  it  had  not  been  in  the  possession  of  the 
barbarians  in  the  palmy  days  of  old  mythology,  it  might  have 
rivaled  the  Fountain  of  Arethusa, 

On  a  little  eminence  below,  and  overlooking  the  fountain,  are 
the  half-dilapidated  walls  of  an  old  castle  that  belonged  to  a 
friend,  but  is  now  called  after  the  poet ;  and  near  by  is  the  spot 
once  occupied  by  the  garden  which  Petrarch  cultivated,  and 
which  he  has  described  as  the  scene  of  so  much  quiet  enjoy- 
ment.    We  climbed  up  to  the  place,  and  were  soon  engaged  in 


Chap.  XXL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  137 

a  horticultural  discussion  on  the  subject  of  a  certain  peach-tree, 
possibly  a  lineal  descendant  of  one  of  the  poet's,  which  finally 
turned  out  to  be  an  almond.  Toward  evening  we  started 
biiskly  homeward,  and  shortly  after  I  was  duly  packed  in  a 
modest  diligence,  and  conveyed  in  a  few  hours  to  Nismes. 

This  fine  provincial  city  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  some  of 
those  mountain  fastnesses  in  which  the  professors  of  the  reform- 
ed faith  sought  refuge  during  their  early  persecutions,  and  it  is 
still  one  of  the  strongholds  of  Protestantism  in  the  south.  I 
looked  from  my  hotel  on  a  bright  sabbath  morning,  and  recol- 
lections of  home  came  over  me.  1  had  listened  to  one  of  their 
eloquent  pastors,  as  to  an  immense  concourse,  in  London,  with 
a  figure  dilating,  as  to  embrace  them  all,  he  had  given  vent  to 
a  Christian  and  hospitable  invitation,  which  in  its  extent  and 
warmth  had  thrilled  every  breast ;  and,  having  declined  a  note 
of  introduction  offered  me  in  Avignon,  I  determined  to  call 
upon  him  simply  in  the  character  which  he  had  so  generously 
included  in  his  touching  request.  Nobly  did  the  good  man  ful- 
fill his  pledge,  and  the  happy  associations  of  a  few  days  that 
succeeded  can  never  be  forgotten. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  Nismes  and  its  neighborhood  are 
celebrated  as  aflbrding  some  of  the  most  rich  lloman  remains 
now  known.  The  arena,  if  less  extensive  than  the  Coliseum  at 
Rome,  is  in  far  better  preservation,  and,  in  spite  of  its  occupa- 
tion as  a  fortress  in  the  wars  of  the  middle  ages,  nses  above 
the  houses  a  lofty,  circular  mass  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  with 
its  outlines  as  distinctly  defined  as  if  it  had  stood  but  a  couple 
of  centuries. 

The  place  of  the  emperors,  and  the  seats  of  the  vestal  vir- 
gins, and  of  the  different  orders,  rising  one  above  another,  and 
decreasing  in  rank  to  those  of  the  slaves  at  the  outer  edge,  are 
still  mostly  entire.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  erected  during 
the  reign  of  Antoninus  Pius.  Not  far  away  is  the  Maisofi  Car- 
rie— a  wonderfully  perfect  heathen  temple,  witli  all  its  Corinth- 


138  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXI. 

ian  columns  and  more  delicate  portions  scarcely  marred.  Its 
history  is  rather  amusing  and  curious,  it  having  been  success- 
ively converted  from  its  oiiginal  destination  to  a  church,  a  hotel 
de  ville,  a  stable  to  a  convent,  a  place  of  sepulchre,  and  a  revo- 
lutionary tribunal ;  and  it  is  now  tastefully  fitted  up  as  a  muse- 
um of  antiquities.  After  visiting  the  fountain,  with  its  rich  an- 
cient sculpture,  the  adjacent  temple  of  Diana,  the  singular  old 
tower,  the  portal  of  Agrippa,  I  found  the  taste  for  these  relics 
beginning  to  increase,  and  I  determined  on  a  little  excursion  of 
a  few  miles  to  perhaps  the  most  curious  of  them  all,  the  Pont 
du  Gard. 

A  gentleman  in  the  conveyance  kindly  amused  us  with  a 
short  popular  lecture  on  the  curious  dialect  of  the  peasantry  in 
some  parts  of  this  country — one  of  the  things,  perhaps,  which 
deserves  to  be  classed  among  the  mutilated  "  Roman  remains," 
being  a  "  transition  formation"  between  French  and  Italian,  with 
possibly  a  slight  suspicion  of  the  Saracen. 

Near  sunset  we  came  to  the  small  River  Gardon,  where  we 
alighted,  and  I  took  a  little  walk  along  its  bank,  when  presently 
there  was  before  me  a  lofty  structure  of  masonry  obstructing 
the  view  and  stretching  across  the  whole  valley  nearly  nine 
hundred  feet  in  length,  and  almost  two  hundred  feet  in  height 
in  the  centre.  It  is  composed  of  three  rows  of  arches,  decreas- 
ing in  size  as  they  increase  in  height,  and  from  a  lower  tier  is  a 
projection  that  is  still  used  by  conveyances  for  its  original  pur- 
pose of  a  bridge.  But  the  great  design  of  this  immense  struc- 
ture would  now  be  accomplished  with  a  few  metal  pipes.  It 
was  to  convey  water  across  the  valley,  and  it  formed  but  a  part 
of  a  Roman  aqueduct,  some  twenty-five  miles  in  length,  to  sup- 
ply the  city  of  Nismes.  I  began  at  one  end,  and,  encouraged 
by  some  fellow-travelers,  equally  juvenile  in  their  tastes,  suc- 
ceeded, at  the  expense  of  sundry  admonitions  from  the  stone 
above  upon  my  organs  of  reflection,  in  scrambling  through  the 
water-pipe  from  one  end  to  the  other.     I  finished  with  the  thor- 


Chap.  XXL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  13d 

ough  conviction  that  the  cement  was  quite  as  hard  as  in  the  time 
of  the  Romans. 

I  had  lost  a  good  deal  of  rest  in  some  little  preparations  for 
leaving  France,  and  writing  letters  to  friends,  and  my  sensations 
and  dreams  in  the  diligence,  after  leaving  Nismes,  were  rather 
unusual.  I  remembered  in  my  natural  senses  being  hoisted 
with  the  lumbering  conveyance  upon  the  railroad,  and  then  there 
was  a  misty  recollection  of  an  unearthly  whistling  and  puffing  : 
after  awhile  I  revived  for  a  moment,  and  felt  an  unusual  vibra- 
tory motion,  and  we  were  oscillating,  horses  and  all,  upon  a 
long  suspension-bridge,  over  a  broad,  rapid  river,  which  I  was 
infomied  on  credible  authority  was  the  Rhone.  I  presently 
relapsed  into  somnolency,  and  on  half  waking  a  second  time, 
fancied,  in  the  dark,  that  some  of  the  passengers'  heads  had 
grown  to  an  enormous  size.  They  were  merely  the  hoods  of 
the  singular  dress  of  some  peasant  women  who  had  recently 
joined  us.  Then  came  ludicrous  minglings  of  fictitious  adven- 
tures and  real  accidents,  and  the  gradual  transition  from 
dreaming  sleep  to  reality,  till  the  donkeys  with  panniers,  or- 
anges, and  wood,  and  the  thronging  market-women  in  the  thor- 
oughfare, became  more  and  more  distinct,  when  with  an  effort 
I  thrust  my  head  out  of  the  window,  and  there,  a  little  in  the 
distance,  was  the  city  of  Marseilles ;  and  in  strange  loveliness, 
as  it  caught  the  new-born  sunbeams,  there,  too,  lay  the  Medi- 
terranean. I  shall  never  forget  the  ecstasy  of  that  moment. 
The  throbbing  of  my  brain  was  gone,  I  was  quite  refreshed, 
and  the  sea-breeze  that  came  soothingly  to  fan  my  temples  was 
delicious.  Then  how  many  strange  reminiscences  of  schoolboy 
lore  came  over  me  !  I  had  listened  to  marvelous  tales  of  ficti- 
tious relics  till  sick  of  them  ;  but  there  was  no  deception  there  : 
it  was  the  very  sea  upon  which,  like  the  nautilus,  man  had  first 
spread  the  tiny  sail.  Names,  each  a  key-note  to  some  thrilling 
Btrain  of  olden  time,  or  index-word  of  the  eventful  past,  came 
thick  and  fast :  the  fleet  of  Agamemnon,  Ulysses,  Eneas,  Sala- 


140  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXI. 

mis,  Tyre,  Carthage,  Rome,  Actium,  the  journeying  of  St 
Paul,  and  a  thousand  things,  sacred  and  profane,  were  among 
its  rich  associations. 

I  could  never  before  tell  satisfactorily  whether  the  sea  was 
green  or  blue ;  but  perhaps  it  was  from  the  peculiar  reflection 
of  the  bright  Italian  sky,  or  because  the  view  was  taken  before 
breakfast,  I  thought  the  waves  were  incontestably  of  a  beautiful 
blue.  I  was  soon  awakened  from  this  pleasing  revery  by  being 
let  down  amid  a  motley  collection  of  lively  Frenchmen,  gruff 
English  sailors,  long-bearded  Jews,  Greeks  with  rfed  caps  and 
pantaloons  that  grew  more  extensive  as  they  descended,  un- 
compromising turbans,  shirts  of  every  hue,  and  all  the  fanciful 
representations  of  the  poetical  East. 

I  embarked  on  board  one  of  the  steamers  in  the  bay,  and  we 
had  a  delicious  sail  along  the  coast,  peeping  into  Toulon  and 
Nice,  and  gazing  on  the  fairy-indented  shores,  now  soft  and 
gi'een,  and  now  stern  and  bald  with  the  projecting  Apennines, 
till,  as  if  by  enchantment,  there  lay  before  us  an  inviting  bay ; 
and  as  we  entered,  the  beautiful  panorama  of  imposing  palaces, 
churches,  and  terraced  gardens  became  more  and  more  distinct, 
and  we  landed  in  Genoa,  "  the  proud." 


Chap.  XXIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  141 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

"Fond  Anticipation" — Genoa — Ancient   Costume — Shadowy   Reflections — 
Politics  and  Trade — Palaces — Chiesa  Annunciata. 

There  is,  doubtless,  a  gi'eat  deal  in  making  up  one's  mind  to 
be  pleased  with  a  thing  beforehand.  Poetry  had  yielded  to 
nausea  and  empty  stomach  (a  valuable  fact) ;  the  "  blue  Medi- 
terranean" had  become  as  ordinary  salt  water,  and  w^e  had 
longed  for  the  shore.  It  had  seemed,  too,  as  if  nothing  earthly 
could  be  more  lovely,  as  we  had  approached  it,  than  the  pros- 
pect  of  Genoa,  sweetly  nestled  in  an  amphitheatre  of  hills,  and 
like  a  crescent  encircling  a  charming  bay,  fanned  only  by  the 
south  w^ind  ;  and  as  our  eyes  had  surveyed  its  palaces,  churches, 
convents,  and  gardens,  pleasantly  mingled,  and  rising  range 
after  range  far  up  the  mountain,  it  had  appeared  as  if  it  must 
be  strangely  delightful  to  roam  there.  And  so  it  proved.  To 
some  it  was  the  first  invasion  of  the  land  of  song  and  macaroni. 
There  was  romance  in  the  porters'  Italian,  though  diluted  with 
French,  and  music  in  the  placards  and  names  of  the  streets. 
Recent  rains  had  garnished  the  old  painted  walls,  cleanly  swept 
the  streets,  and  purified  the  air.  The  sun  was  cheerily  shining, 
and  the  sea-breeze  gently  breathing,  and  earth,  sea,  and  sky 
were  again  beautiful.  It  was  one  of  those  delicious  southern 
mornings  in  autumn,  like  the  spring  time  of  our  own  clime, 
when  one  feels  in  love  with  all  around.  As  if  in  good  humor 
with  the  fine  weather,  all  Genoa  appeared  in  motion.  The 
mules  jingled  their  little  bells,  the  market-women  praised  their 
wares,  files  of  Sardinian  soldiers  in  blue  and  red  uniform 
primly  passed,  and  even  the  fat  monks  with  the  cowl  and  dang- 
ling rope,  and  the  grave-looking  priests  in  long,  black  dresses, 
silk  stockings,  and  turned-up  hats,  seemed  livelier  than  usual. 

The  moment  I  had  secured  quaiters,  I  started  oiV  in  a  fit  of  en- 


142  LOTTERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXII. 

tliusiasra  for  a  ramble.  I  was  soon  pleasantly  bewildered  among 
fine  old  palaces,  with  great  marble  steps,  decorated  above  with 
lions  and  hybrid  animals  that  never  existed,  representing  the 
armorial  devices  of  their  former  owners  ;  massive  churches  ;  vast 
embankments  filling  up  ravines ;  piles  of  brick  and  mortar, 
in  the  style  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  and  lofty  teiTaces  covered 
with  the  oleander,  fig,  and  orange  that  reminded  one  of  the 
hanging-gardens  of  olden  time.  There  is  a  singular  air  of  grand- 
eur about  every  thing,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  fervid,  im- 
aginative Italians  should  have  given  this  romantic  city  the  epi- 
thet of  La  Superba.  The  closeness  of  the  streets  is  compensated 
by  their  increased  coolness,  their  cleanliness,  and  the  magnificent 
views  that  break  upon  you  from  almost  every  point.  I  strolled 
on,  seeming  ever  to  go  up  hill,  and  never  to  reach  the  top  ;  now 
gazing  at  a  fine  edifice,  then  admiring  the  trappings  of  an  in- 
teresting donkey ;  again  stopping  to  listen  to  the  gambols  of  a 
troop  of  Genoese  children  with  laughing  black  eyes,  and  then 
perhaps  undertaking  an  exploring  expedition  up  a  mysterious 
winding  passage,  that  branched  ofi"  and  grew  naiTOwer  and  nar- 
rower, to  the  serious  inconvenience  of  large  people,  till  at  last 
it  terminated  against  a  brick  wall  with  a  little  gate  affording  a 
side-view  of  a  court-yard  with  a  dilapidated  fountain,  a  noisy 
watch-dog,  and  a  ferocious  animal  or  two  in  stone  that  needed 
repairing.  At  last  I  came  to  a  fine  avenue  of  trees,  with  seats 
beneath  them,  and  set  down  to  indulge  in  a  day-dream.  How 
imposing  were  still  the  ruins  of  that  ancient  sea-queen !  The 
dust  of  centuries  seemed  to  rest  lightly  there.  A  few  touches 
to  cracked  and  dingy  walls,  a  little  garnishing  of  marble  steps 
and  halls,  and  cleansing  of  old  pictures,  and  all  would  be  fresh 
again  as  in  the  days  of  the  Dorias.  The  wealth  that  had  so 
strongly  cemented  those  imposing  piles  had  been  gathered  from 
every  clime.  What  a  lesson  on  the  power  of  freedom  and  com- 
merce !  From  that  sea-bom  city  has  issued  a  force  that  had 
crushed  Pisa,  and  besieged  Venice  in  the  height  of  her  glory 


Chap.  XXII.]  liOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  143 

in  her  own  lagunes ;  her  fleets  had  assisted  to  ferry  over  ar- 
mies of  Crusaders ;  and  she  had  colonized  rich  possessions  in 
the  Mediterranean  and  Black  seas,  and  encroached  upon  the 
suburbs  of  Constantinople.  Her  enterprise  had  given  birth  to 
the  daring  genius  which  had  led  the  way  to  an  unknown  conti- 
nent ;  the  fortune  of  a  single  citizen  had  fitted  out  a  fleet  that 
had  turned  the  scale  in  a  conflict  between  two  of  the  first  mon- 
archs  of  Europe,  and  delivered  his  country ;  and  the  draining 
of  her  bank  by  patriotic  English  merchants  had  delayed  for  a 
year  the  Spanish  Armada,  and  deranged  the  monetary  afl'airs 
of  the  world. 

I  was  getting  into  the  sublime  humor  that  sometimes  comes 
over  one  almost  unawares,  under  strong  temptation,  when  my 
attention  was  diverted  by  some  odd-looking  peasants,  and  a  ve- 
hicle laden  with  a  curious  article  of  merchandise.  Possibly  it 
wae  only  its  near  relative  inflated  with  a  solid  or  fluid,  but  it 
looked  like  a  sheep  with  its  coat  turned,  in  Russian  style,  and 
the  head  and  extremities  absorbed,  and  it  reminded  one  of  the 
descriptions  of  the  Arab  water-sack. 

Presently  a  troop  of  girls,  possibly  from  an  Italian  boarding- 
school,  with  innocent,  happy  faces,  came  tripping  along  with 
their  long  white  scarfs  gracefully  thrown  over  the  head,  and  the 
ends  floating  in  the  breeze.  The  females  of  nearly  all  classes  still 
retain  this  somewhat  singular  part  of  their  ancient  national  cos- 
tume. Like  most  peculiarities  of  this  kind,  it  is  adapted  to  the 
local  circumstances  of  a  fine  climate  and  narrow  sti'ects,  shaded 
by  lofty  houses.  It  is  the  simplest  form  of  headdress  imagina- 
ble, such  as  one  might  almost  fancy  Eve  herself  to  have  invent- 
ed some  fine  evening.  A  piece  of  thin  muslin,  of  the  texture 
and  appearance  of  a  white  veil,  some  yards  in  length,  is  merely 
thrown  sideways  loosely  over  the  head,  so  as  to  expose  the  fore- 
head and  face,  while  the  two  free  ends,  hanging  down  on  each 
side  in  front,  are  retained  by  the  folded  arms;  and  it  gives  the 
wearers  a  son  of  bridal  appearance  that  is  quite  poetical. 


144  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXII. 

Genoa  is  to  some  extent  a  free  port,  a  space  being  set  off  for 
the  storage  of  goods  for  reshipment.  The  increase  in  latter 
years  in  the  trade  of  the  MediteiTanean,  and  the  resumption 
of  intercourse  with  India  by  the  ancient  channel,  have  given  a 
new  impulse  to  its  trade  ;  and  it  is  a  principal  port  for  the 
commerce  of  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia,  part  of  Lombardy,  and 
even  Switzerland.  If  one  can  judge  by  the  newly-erected  forts, 
that  tower  like  Bastiles  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  to  overawe 
the  citizens,  and  the  throng  of  soldiers,  the  King  of  Sardinia 
intends  to  keep  possession  for  some  time  of  this  handsome  pres- 
ent from  the  Congress  of  Vienna.  Of  course,  the  oldest  inhab- 
itants can  recollect  the  time  when  it  was  an  independent  repub- 
lic, and  there  are  many  ardent  spirits  impatient  of  the  present 
yoke.  A  strong  feeling  of  nationality  still  exists.  Shortly  be- 
fore my  visit,  the  foundation  of  a  pedestal  for  a  magnificent 
statue  of  Columbus  was  laid,  amid  great  enthusiasm,  at  the  an- 
nual meeting  of  an  association  of  literary  men,  comprising  some 
of  the  most  enlightened  spirits  of  Italy,  and  headed  by  the 
Prince  of  Canino,  son  of  Lucien  Bonaparte.  The  city  has 
been  the  seat  of  at  least  one  formidable  conspiracy  for  the  over- 
throw of  the  present  government.  But  the  authorities  are  evi- 
dently on  the  alert.  The  fortifications,  so  wonderfully  defended 
by  the  indomitable  Massena,  have  been  materially  strengthened. 
A  continuous  range  of  forts  commands  the  semicircular  mount- 
ain ridge  around  the  city,  which  was  the  scene  of  so  many 
bloody  conflicts  between  the  Austrians  and  French,  during  the 
memorable  siege. 

The  gi'andeur  and  number  of  their  palaces  give  one  an  exalt- 
ed idea  of  the  power  and  opulence  of  the  ancient  aristocracy. 
A  single  street,  the  splendid  Strada  Nuova,  contains  some  thir- 
teen of  these  princely  edifices  within  a  short  distance.  Their 
entrances  are  usually  very  imposing,  often  presenting  a  lofty 
front  and  a  fine,  open  hall,  ornamented  with  columns,  and  lead- 
ing to  a  court-yard  visible  from  the  street,  surrounded  by  ar- 


Chap.  XXII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  145 


cades,  with  tlie  arches  resting  upon  pillars,  and  terminated  by 
a  grand  staircase,  leading  up  on  each  side  ;  and  in  the  back- 
ground is  fi-equently  a  little  garden  filled  with  orange-trees, 
whose  dark  foliage,  contrasting  finely  with  the  marble  of  the 
sides  and  foreground,  fills  up  the  perspective,  and  adds  a  finish 
to  the  picture.  Many  of  them  are  still  enriched  by  choice 
paintings  of  the  best  Flemish  and  Italian  masters. 

As  you  approach  the  city  from  the  water,  perhaps  the 
most  striking  of  them  all,  from  its  isolated  position  and  its  ex- 
tensive gardens,  running  down  toward  the  sea,  is  the  palace 
given  to  the  great  Andrew  Doria,  the  restorer  of  the  republic, 
and  friend  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  A  somewhat  pompous 
Latin  inscription  extends  across  the  whole  front,  reminding  one 
of  the  large  letters  used  by  the  venders  of  sea-stores.  From 
one  of  the  upper  stories  a  gallery  leads  across  the  street  to  a 
very  high-terraced  garden,  in  front  of  which  is  placed  a  colos- 
sal statue  of  Jupiter  guarding  the  tomb  of  a  favorite  dog,  pre- 
sented to  Doria  by  his  imperial  patron,  and  visible  at  some  dis- 
tance. 

The  passion  for  display  is  exhibited  in  the  profuse  decora- 
tions of  the  churches.  A  day  or  two  after  I  landed,  I  went  to 
high  mass  at  the  Chiesa  Annunciata.  This  church,  like  many 
others  in  Genoa,  was  built  at  the  expense  of  a  single  family. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  lavishly-ornamented  I  had  ever  seen. 
The  vaulted  ceiling,  and  the  whole  interior,  seemed  one  rich 
array  of  variegated  marble  and  gold.  It  was  crowded  with 
worshipers,  constantly  coming  and  going.  Yet  to  a  Protestant, 
taught  by  absence  to  cherish  the  institutions  of  a  happy  homo 
more  dearly  than  ever,  the  confession,  the  lowly  bowing  and  the 
upturned  eye,  the  swelling  anthem  and  the  chanted  prayer  of 
the  morning,  naturally  seemed  a  strange  contrast  to  the  noisy 
streets,  the  thronged  vehicles  of  pleasure,  and  the  placarded  ball 
and  play  of  the  sabbath  evening. 

Q 


146  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIII. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Sea  Retiremeut — Leghorn — Toleration — Civita  Vecchia — A  Dilemma — Tlie 
Campagna — Rome. 

One  balmy,  breezy  day,  from  tbe  deck  of  a  Neapolitan 
steamer,  we  indulged  in  a  parting  gaze  at  beautiful  Genoa. 
We  were  crowded  with  a  multitude  of  curious  or  devout  pil- 
gi-ims  on  their  way  to  Rome,  to  grace  with  their  presence  the 
grand  inaugural  ceremony  of  the  pope  taking  possession  of  St. 
John  in  Lateran.  In  a  few  hours  the  wind  freshened,  the  cap- 
tain stormed,  the  steward  grew  amiable,  the  deck  2:)assengers 
crawled  under  the  carriages,  and  we  retired  to  our  berths  to 
dream  of  steam-engines  and  frightful  convulsions.  As  we  af- 
terwards found,  however,  our  brave  commander  was  really  a 
worthy  specimen  of  a  Neapolitan — rough,  but  good-natured — 
only  gifted  with  a  little  sea  eloquence  for  trying  occasions ;  and 
when  he  was  in  a  gentler  mood,  and  deigned,  through  a  smile, 
to  unveil  a  fine  set  of  teeth,  his  bronzed  face  would  sometimes 
glisten  as  with  the  fluid  that  calms  the  troubled  waves. 

Next  morning  we  ran  into  the  harbor  of  Leghorn,  and  ob- 
tained the  furlough  of  a  few  hours  on  shore.  The  port  was 
crowded  with  merchantmen  of  different  nations ;  and  gangs  of 
criminals  condemned  to  the  galleys,  with  soldiers  at  their  heels, 
were  working  dredging-machines  and  toiling  about  the  docks. 
After  paying  a  fee  to  the  police  for  entrance,  we  were  soon 
rambling  about  the  town.  Like  many  other  thriving  spots  in 
the  world,  it  is  a  monument  of  the  effects  of  industry  and  tol- 
eration. At  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  it  did  not  con- 
tain a  thousand  inhabitants  ;  but,  shortly  after,  Ferdinand  J; 
made  it  an  asylum  for  the  persecuted  of  every  creed,  and  in- 
vited the  Jews,  just  driven  out  of  Spain  by  the  Inquisition,  to 


Chap.  XXIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  147 

settle  there.  The  same  enhghtened  religious  freedom  is  still 
maintained  by  the  Tuscan  government.  Until  tlie  present  cen- 
tury it  contained  the  only  English  burying-ground  in  Italy.  Ifo 
foster  its  trade,  the  custom-house  is  placed  at  the  outside  bar- 
rier, so  that  it  is  completely  a  free  port ;  and  the  railroad  to 
Pisa,  which  will  shortly  be  completed  to  Florence,  and  steam- 
navigation,  have  helped  to  make  it  a  place  of  much  commercial 
activity.  In  fact,  we  were  continually  pestered  by  hawkers  and 
brokers,  refusing  to  hear  a  negative,  and  humoring  our  foreign 
accent  by  afflictive  French  and  English — now  eloquently  expa- 
tiating on  the  edge  of  a  razor,  or  again  pointing,  with  Italian 
energy,  to  a  neighboring  woolen-shop,  where,  in  the  speech  of 
trade,  was  a  chance  for  speculation.  The  city  is  situated  on  a 
level  shore,  whoso  monotony  is  somewhat  relieved  by  the  pros- 
pect of  the  height  of  Monte  Nero,  a  little  way  off,  crowned  with 
a  monastery  and  several  villas.  On  returning  to  embark,  I 
stopped  to  look  at  a  fine  statue  of  Ferdinand  1.,  near  the  basin. 
It  is  surrounded  by  an  exceedingly  effective  group  of  four  Turk- 
ish captives  in  chains,  with  beseeching  agony  in  their  coun- 
tenances, said  to  have  been  modeled  from  some  prisoners  that 
attracted  his  attention,  who  were  taken  at  the  battle  of  Le- 
panto. 

A  slight  competition  among  the  watermen  and  a  little  bustle 
on  board,  and  our  craft  was  again  steaming  southward  in  the 
open  sea.  It  was  bright  moonlight,  and  an  elderly,  sociable 
English  gentleman  remained  with  me  on  deck  till  near  mid- 
night, looking  out  for  the  island  of  Elba.  Our  friend  had  been 
in  the  service,  and  by  good  luck  had  visited  the  island,  and  h;id 
an  introduction  to  Napoleon  during  his  residence  there,  and  he 
kindly  offered  to  point  out  the  place.  At  last  the  island  dimly 
appeared,  and  on  coming  abreast  of  it  my  companion  directed 
attention  to  a  dent  in  the  shore,  where  the  lights  were  gleaming. 
The  island  now  belongs  to  Tuscany. 

Next  moniing  wc  ncared  the  mainland,  and  mudu  fur  Civita 


148  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIIL 

Vecchia.  The  massive  bulwarks  and  briglit  walls  of  its  port 
have  withstood  the  elements,  with  little  damage,  since  their 
election  by  the  Emperor  Trajan,  and  still  present  a  rather 
imposing  aspect  toward  the  sea.  But  our  meditations  of  Ro- 
man antiquities  were  soon  disturbed  by  a  ragged  detachment, 
that  escorted  us  and  our  precious  eifects  to  the  custom-house. 
One  would  think  that,  from  its  name,  a  passport  was  intended 
to  facilitate  one's  progress ;  but  it  seems  in  Italy  just  the  con- 
trary. I  had  obtained  a  nuncio's  signature  to  enter  the  Papal 
States — had  afterward  contributed  to  the  consul's  revenues  at 
the  port  of  embarkation ;  but  the  police  were  inflexible,  and  I 
was  forced  with  the  crowd  to  seek  consular  aid. 

Civita  Yecchia,  though  the  port  of  Rome  and  the  surround- 
inw  territory,  seems  exceedingly  dull  and  uninteresting,  and  it 
would  be  still  more  so  v/ere  it  not  for  the  almost  daily  arrival 
of  some  of  the  numerous  steamers  that  ply  upon  this  part  of  the 
Mediterranean.  We  therefore  hurried  to  get  away.  At  last, 
after  the  numerous  friends  that  had  assisted  at  our  entrance  into 
the  pope's  dominions  had  been  duly  remembered — after  we  had 
paid  the  extra  fee  for  conveyance,  and  all  the  men  and  boys, 
who,  by  systematic  division  of  labor,  had  lifted  a  carpet-bag  a  few 
feet  backward  or  forward,  or  touched  a  hat-box — had,  in  East- 
era  phrase,  "  eaten  our  salt" — and  the  driver  had  looked  calmly 
around  to  see  if  there  were  more  claimants — we  moved  leis- 
urely off.  Altogether,  we  loaded  quite  a  cavalcade  of  carnages. 
The  road  led  in  the  direction  of  the  Aurelian  Way,  along  the 
level  seashore  for  some  distance.  It  was  a  pleasant  day,  a  gen- 
tle ripple  was  laving  the  beach,  and  the  picturesque  lateen  sails 
of  the  fishing-boats  were  prettily  coquetting  with  the  breeze. 
On  the  left  hand,  in  one  part  of  the  road,  was  seen  the  town  of 
Cerveteri,  upon  the  site  of  Caere  or  Agylla,  one  of  the  most 
famous  cities  of  Etruria,  described  by  Virgil  as  governed  by 
Mezentius  on  the  arrival  of  ^neas.  In  the  tombs  at  this  place 
were  discovered  the  finest  Etruscan  remains  which  adorn  the 


Chap.  XXIII. ]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  149 

museum  of  the  Vatican.  One  of  them  contained  a  famous 
breastplate  of  gold,  the  bronze  bier,  the  armor,  the  funeral  car, 
and  tripod  which,  some  ten  years  since,  were  brought  to  light 
by  the  researches  of  Regulini  and  General  Galassi.  These 
tumuli  and  highiy-interesting  relics  have  been  set  down  by 
able  antiquaries  as  belonging  to  the  era  of  the  Trojan  war. 

On  stopping  to  change  horses,  our  senior  postilhon  and  all  the 
ragged  juniors,  with  hat  in  hand,  came  supplicating  a  fee.  We 
were  as  yet  uninitiated,  and  puzzled  to  know,  in  small  points, 
our  just  duties  to  the  public  in  a  strange  country.  Poor  fel- 
lows, they  really  looked  as  if  they  needed  it,  and  the  majority 
were  generous.  A  wealthy  lady  in  her  private  carnage  behind 
us,  however,  seemed  resolved  to  resist  what  she  seemed  sin- 
cerely to  believe  was  some  dishonest  charge  ;  and  the  postillion, 
with  violent  gestures,  was  enforcing  his  demand.  The  words 
grew  high  and  loud,  when  an  English  gentleman  by  my  side, 
who  was  fluent  in  Italian,  and  rather  given  to  waggery,  man- 
aged, most  amusingly,  to  protract  the  debate  and  perplex  them 
both,  and  in  the  end  gallantly  sided  with  the  lady. 

As  we  penetrated  into  the  interior,  the  country  became  more 
and  more  dreary.  A  moldering  ruin,  partially  inhabited,  or  a 
solitary  lodge  here  and  there,  with  miles  between,  were  the 
only  human  dwehings.  In  one  place,  a  large  number  of 
miserable-looking  laborers  were  collected  in  a  plain,  ploughing. 
Four  of  the  large  gray  Roman  oxen  were  fastened  abreast, 
with  a  rude  yoke,  to  a  plough  shaped  like  a  triangular, 
sharp-pointed  spade.  A  man  on  horseback  seemed  superin- 
tending the  whole.  It  was  the  fimed  pestilential  Campagna. 
This  immense  district  is  farmed  by  a  low  rich  capitalists  at 
Rome.  In  winter  it  is  covered  with  myriads  of  cattle  and  sheep, 
but  as  summer  comes  on,  it  becomes  too  sickly  even  for  brute 
beasts,  and  they  are  driven  to  tlic  cooler  pastures  among  tlio 
Sabine  Hills.  In  harvest,  tlie  poor  famished  peasants  who,  to 
eke  out  an  existence,  come  down  from  the  hill  country  to  the 


150  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

plain,  as  reapers,  weltering  in  the  broiling  sun  by  day,  and 
sleeping  on  the  damp  ground,  amid  the  noxious  exhalations  of 
the  malaria  by  night,  fall  victims  to  its  deadly  fever  by  hun 
dreds.  Many  return  but  to  drag  out  a  miserable  existence. 
As  soon  as  the  harvest  is  gathered,  the  Campagna  is  utterly 
deserted. 

At  length,  in  the  bright  moonlight,  we  looked  out  over  a 
little  hill ;  there,  looming  up  in  the  distance,  gorgeous  and  beau- 
tiful, was  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  I  shall  never  forget  the  sen- 
sation which  burst  upon  me  at  the  first  glimpse  of  desolate  yet 
magnificent  Rome.  We  entered  by  the  Porta  Cavallegieri. 
Passing  in  front  of  the  Piazza  of  St.  Peter's,  we  crossed  the 
Tiber  by  the  bridge  in  front  of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  and 
were  soon  in  the  depths  of  the  Eternal  City.  It  was  not  late, 
but  it  seemed  there  reigned  a  deathly  stillness. 


CHAPTER  XXTV. 

Roman  Impressions — Pantheon — Airy  Visions — Capitol — Dying  Gladiator — 
The  Pope — "  Taking  Possession." 

Next  morning  I  sallied  forth  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  years. 
After  all,  there  is  no  earthly  spot  that  gives  you,  perhaps,  the 
same  first  impression  as  Rome.  You  see  nothing  of  the  stir 
of  commerce  and  the  bustle  of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  is  a 
city  of  priests,  churches,  and  ruins.  Unless  you  happen  to  be 
an  enthusiast  in  painting,  or  a  devotee  to  her  faith,  your  earlier 
rambles  in  this  Mecca  of  arts  and  southern  Christendom  are 
apt  to  produce  a  slight  feeling  of  disappointment.  The  mind 
.dwells  most  upon  her  former  estate.  You  have  come  dream- 
ing, perhaps,  of  the  beautiful  fictions  of  the  poets,  and  the  lore 
of  history  from  the  times  of  ^neas  and  Romulus  to  the  last  of 


Chap.  XXIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  151 

the  Caesars  ;  and  forgetting  the  ravages  of  the  elements  for  so 
many  centuries,  and  of  captors  more  fierce  than  they,  you 
are  scarcely  reconciled  to  find  all  so  changed.  In  the  inhabited 
poition,  objects  of  time-hallowed  memory  are  singularly  masked 
and  blended  with  the  more  trivial  things  of  life,  or  the  associa- 
tions of  an  imposing  ritual.  I  strolled  into  the  first  square 
along  the  Corso,  and  men  were  cleaning  shoes,  and  selling  or- 
anges and  matches  around  the  Column  of  Marcus  Antoninus;  my 
banker's  bureau  and  a  great  many  other  things  were  in  the 
Palace  of  Justinian;  a  little  farther  on  I  came  to  a  little  open 
space,  where  women  were  roasting  chestnuts  and  selling  vegeta- 
bles, and  on  one  side  stood  a  round  ancient  edifice  surmounted 
by  a  dome,  and  ornamented  in  front  with  a  portico  sustained  by 
Corinthian  pillars,  the  most  beautifully  simple  and  effective  in 
its  proportions  I  had  ever  seen.  It  was  the  Pantheon.  The 
"  temple  of  all  the  gods"  has,  as  most  are  aware,  with  surpri- 
singly little  alteration,  been  converted  to  Christianity;  and,  fitted 
up  as  a  church,  it  now  remains  the  most  perfectly-preserved 
monument  of  ancient  Rome.  I  entered,  gazed  awhile  at  the 
tomb  of  Raphael,  and  retired.  The  change  was  but  one  of  a 
class.  Statues  of  angels  and  apostles  were  standing  upon  tri- 
umphal columns  and  monuments  once  decorated  with  emperois 
and  warriors  ;  old  temples  were  transformed  into  churches,  and 
the  niches,  probably  formed  for  images  of  the  gods  and  devices 
of  heathen  worship,  were  occupied  by  saints  and  the  A'irgin. 
The  cross  had  simply  effaced  some  other  emblem.  Every 
object  of  the  ancient  worship  seemed  to  have  been  industriously 
modified  and  appropriated  by  the  new ;  and  the  palpable  evi- 
dences of  the  transition  carried  the  mind  back  to  the  davs  of 
Constantino,  and  Julian  the  Apostate,  and  the  long  and  deadly 
struggle  between  paganism  and  Christianity. 

Apart  from  the  bearing  of  these  indications  upon  the  question 
as  to  whether  the  purer  faith  became  deteriorated  by  yielding  too 
much  to  its  predecessor,  they  are  interesting  as  showing  the  ex- 


152  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIV 

treme  tenacity  with  which  human  nature  clings  to  every  thing 
ancient,  and  the  great  difficulty  of  suddenly  reforming  or  chang- 
ing the  habits  of  a  whole  people. 

It  requires  several  days  to  get  the  enthusiasm  and  abstraction 
requisite  to  thoroughly  enjoy  the  ruins  of  Rome.  You  must  have 
time  to  let  the  soft  disguise  of  Italian  digest  and  return  to  you 
in  thrilling  historic  words  of  schoolboy  Latin  ;  processions, 
masses,  and  wax  candles  must  become  familiar  things  ;  you 
must  cease  to  be  distracted  by  the  sight  of  priestly  robes  of 
black,  red,  or  gold,  or  the  cowl  of  a  monk,  or  amused  with  the 
flaring  costume  of  the  Albano  peasant,  or  the  appearance  of  a 
buffalo  from  the  Campagna;  and  when  you  are  sated  with 
scenes  among  the  living,  you  may  wander  to  the  outskirts,  and 
in  congenial  loneliness,  amid  crumbling  arches  and  broken 
columns,  revel  for  hours  in  memories  of  the  past. 

After  wandering  about  for  a  day  or  two,  seeing  many  things 
cursorily,  and  few  satisfactorily,  I  determined  to  commence 
anew  by  getting  some  idea  of  the  geography  of  the  city  from 
the  tower  of  the  Capitol.  This  famed  citadel  is  now  in  the  out- 
skirts of  modern  Rome,  with  the  most  interesting  ruins  beyond — 
a  kind  of  central  point  between  the  city  of  the  living  and  the 
dead.  "What  phantoms  of  glory  desolate  started  in  a  moment 
into  vision  !  Other  empire  cities  had  passed  away,  and  left 
scarce  a  wreck  behind  ;  but  there,  just  below,  were  the  remains 
of  the  Roman  Forum  ;  beyond  were  the  Arch  of  Titus  and  the 
Palatine  Hill,  covered  with  the  moldering  relics  of  the  Palace  of 
the  Caesars  ;  and  farther  still  were  the  Arch  of  Constantino  and 
the  gigantic  Coliseum.  On  the  other  side  was  the  compact  mass 
of  modern  Rome,  with  obelisks,  columns,  and  churches  peering 
up  here  and  there,  skirted  on  its  western  edge  by  the  "  yellow 
Tiber"  rolling  unchangeably  on  as  when  its  waters  received  the 
vanquished  Maxentius,  or  the  captive  maiden  from  the  camp  of 
the  Grecian  king.  Across  the  river  was  seen  the  pile  of  the  Vat- 
ican, St.  Peter's,  and  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo.     The  world  has 


Chap.  XXIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  153 

not  another  prospect  so  rich  in  its  associations.  My  head  fairly 
grew  dizzy  as  I  tried  to  count  the  seven  hills.  Five  of  these 
were  deserted  and  covered  with  ruins,  and  the  Capitoline  and 
Quirinal  were  only  in  tiie  borders  of  the  present  city.  Beyond 
the  walls  on  every  side  was  the  gently  undulating  and  desolate 
Campagna,  the  once  fruitful  territory  of  ancient  Latium  and 
Etruria.  Bounding  this  on  the  north,  in  the  distance,  were  seen 
the  Sabine  Hills,  and  on  the  east  a  range  of  heights,  the  advance- 
guard  of  the  Apennines,  below  whose  crests  were  perched  the 
towns  of  Tivoh,  Castiglione,  Frascati,  and  Albano.  In  this  di- 
rection, too,  were  the  plain  where  Hannibal  encamped,  and  the 
lofty  summit  of  Monte  Algido,  the  "  GeUdus  Algidus"  of  Hor- 
ace, and  still  the  ice-house  of  Rome. 

Entering  the  museum  below,  I  was  soon  fully  occupied  in  a 
maze  of  halls  and  apartments,  stored  with  treasures  of  ancient 
art.  A  very  complete  collection  of  the  busts  of  the  Roman  em- 
perors, the  poets,  and  philosophers,  possessed  much  interest. 
One  could  fancy  the  ill-natured  wife  of  Socrates  could  not  have 
had  greater  triumph  than  presenting  a  mirror  to  her  amiable 
and  ugly  husband.  But  the  marble  base,  the  mosaic  doves,  the 
antique  fawn,  the  exquisite  statue  of  Antinous,  and  all  the  other 
wonders  of  the  collection,  were  but  slight  attractions  compared 
with  the  celebrated  statue  of  the  Dying  Gladiator.  I  confess  no 
marble  ever  caused  me  half  so  much  feeling.  There  was  more 
of  hfe  and  thought  in  him  than  from  description  I  had  expected. 

The  dizziness  of  death  was  but  commencing.  You  see  it 
all.  There  is  the  blood  trickling  from  tlie  wound  in  his  side ; 
his  right  arm  has  been  stretched  out  to  support  him  as  he  had 
fallen,  and  it  is  just  giving  way  ;  the  manly  limbs  that  for  life  and 
victory  have  struggled  so  fiercely  are  unconsciously  relaxing  ;  the 
sweat  has  matted  his  hair ;  the  head  is  slightly  drooping ;  the 
gaze  is  upon  vacancy  ;  the  brows  are  knit,  the  lips  discomposed  ; 
and  every  line  of  that  noble,  agonized  face  tells  that  a  strugtj^le 
within,  has  succeeded  the  conflict  without,  and  that  the  must  feai- 


154  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

fd  death-pang  has  come.     Almost  irresistibly  in  thought  you 
mutter  over — 

"  The  arena  swims  around  him — he  is  gone 
Ere  ceased  the  inhuman  shout  which  hailed  the  wretch  who  won. 
He  heard  it,  but  he  heeded  not — his  eyes 
Were  with  his  heart,  and  that  was  far  away ; 
He  recked  not  of  the  hfe  he  lost  nor  prize  ; 
But  where  his  rude  hut  by  the  Danube  lay, 
There  were  his  young  barbarians  all  at  play — 
There  was  their  Dacian  mother — ^he,  their  sire, 
Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holy  day." 

The  Palace  of  the  Capitol,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  built 
and  arranged  by  Michael  Angelo.  Close  at  hand,  among  a 
mass  of  small  houses,  with  a  little  difficulty  I  succeeded  in  find- 
ing a  portion  of  the  Tarpeian  Rock.  But  its  height  is  so  dimin- 
ished by  rubbish  that  a  leap  from  it  would  probably  no  longer 
cure  either  love  or  treason. 

One  bright  morning  the  cannon  of  St.  Angelo  fired,  and  all 
Rome  was  in  motion.  I  followed  the  crowd.  Presently  we 
were  rushing,  in  one  countless  array  of  foot,  horse,  and  car- 
riages, past  the  Coliseum  toward  the  ancient  Church  of  St. 
John  in  Lateran.  This  splendid  ancient  edifice,  on  account 
of  its  alleged  consecration  by  Constantino,  and  other  cir- 
cumstances, claims  precedence  even  to  St.  Peter's  ;  and  the 
crowning  inaugural  act  after  the  election  of  a  new  pope  is  a 
gorgeous  procession  to  this  church,  and  other  ceremonies  con- 
stituting what  is  termed  the  "taking  possession."  The  act, 
from  some  cause,  had  been  deferred  a  few  months,  and  the 
enthusiastic  joy  of  the  ItaUans  at  the  signs  of  amendment  in 
the  papal  policy,  the  well-timed  clemency  of  the  new  incum- 
bent, and  their  fears  and  aversion  of  Austrian  and  other  in- 
fluences made  them  determine  on  giving  a  popular  demon- 
stration. A  friend  who  had  been  twenty  years  in  Rome  had 
never  seen  any  thing  so  imposing.     The  windows  and  balconiQS 


Chap.  XXIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  155 

were  filled  \vith  thousands.  Beautiful  women  waved  their  hand- 
kerchiefs. Flowers  and  olive-leaves  were  strewed  all  along  the 
route.  I  hastened  in  advance  to  the  church.  There  is  a  con- 
fused recollection  of  a  hale,  good-looking  old  man  cariied  on  a 
triumphal  chair,  hke  a  bier — of  immense  yellow  silk  canopies, 
like  umbrellas,  spread  over  him  *at  the  steps — of  deafening 
huzzas  that  followed  a  blessing — of  clouds  of  incense  and  peal- 
ing anthems — of  a  church  all  decorated  with  scarlet  and  gold 
trimmings — of  the  Swiss  guard,  with  a  queer  striped  uniform 
and  halberds — of  long  ceremonies  at  the  altar,  and  of  the 
pope's  return  to  the  grand  entrance  with  increased  pomp, 
wearing  the  triple  crown.  I  hastened  by  a  nearer  route  to  the 
Coliseum,  and  secured  a  position  where  I  could  see  the  whole 
cortege  as  it  passed  on  its  return.  The  pope  was  drawn  by  six 
horses,  splendidly  caparisoned;  and  an  immense  state  coach,  cov- 
ered with  scarlet  velvet  and  gold,  with  a  couple  of  gilt  angels 
in  front  bearing  the  keys  of  St.  Peter.  Then  came  the  Col- 
lege of  Cardinals,  each  in  a  richly-gilded  coach,  with  three  liv- 
eried attendants  behind.  A  long  array  of  other  dignitaries,  the 
mounted  guard  of  nobles,  and  some  regiments  of  artillery  and 
infantry  followed.  Altogether  it  was  a  most  imposing  pageant. 
It  was  easy  to  see  that  the  descendants  of  those  who  relished 
Cccsar's  triumph  four  days  were  Romans  still,  and  loved  a  show 
as  intensely  as  ever.  Their  affections  had  been  transferred  to 
spiritual  rulers. 

To  one  of  another  faith,  it  seemed  strange  to  see  the  alleged 
successors  of  the  fishermen  of  Galilee  surrounded  with  kingly 
pomp  and  the  implements  of  destruction. 


156  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXV 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Romantic  Weather — Coliseum   by  Moonlight — Suspicious  Visitor — Trajan'a 
Column — The  Forum — Arch  of  Titus — Santa  Scala. 

One  night  or  morning  I  was  suddenly  v/akened  by  a  furious 
rain,  and  as  it  died  away,  I  saw  by  the  light  in  my  window,  that 
there  was  a  small  moon.  It  was  a  joyful  discovery.  I  had 
been  repining  at  my  not  having  made  the  famous  trip  to  the 
Coliseum  by  moonlight  some  time  previously,  and  I  could  not 
remain  another  month,  I  sprang  eagerly  out  of  bed,  and  thrust 
my  head  out  of  the  window.  It  was  a  singular,  wild-looking 
night,  presenting  the  aspect  of  black  clouds  fringed  with  nar- 
row strips  of  moonshine,  and  the  glimmer  of  a  few  stars  through 
the  crevices  contrasting  with  the  gloom  like  the  hght  in  a  picture 
of  Rembrandt ;  the  sort  of  nocturnal  weather  in  fact  that  makes 
one  think  of  child-stories  of  conjurors  and  evil  spirits — such  as 
one  would  fancy  should  have  succeeded  the  storm  in  which  the 
hero  of  Burns  escaped  from  the  witches.  My  watch  was  par- 
alytic ;  the  Roman  clocks,  with  dial  plates  of  twenty-four  hours, 
commencing  and  changing  with  Ave  Maria  or  twilight,  are  a 
complete  puzzle  to  a  stranger;  and  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the 
hour,  I  hastily  equipped,  and  succeeded  in  waking  the  porter. 
He  rubbed  his  eyes,  then  stared  at  me  as  if  to  detect  insanity, 
muttered  some  very  significant  words  about  robbers,  as  if  to 
give  fair  warning,  and  seeing  me  resolute  at  length  unbarred 
the  street-door.  Assassinations,  though  miuch  diminished,  are 
not  even  yet  so  rare  as  they  might  be  in  Italy.  By  our  joint 
calculations  it  was  somewhere  between  midnight  and  daylight, 
and  though  I  knew  that  since  the  poet's  famous  description  this 
moon  excursion  had  become  quite  fashionable,  yet  the-:  adven- 
ture all  alone,  at  so  very  late  an  hour,  when  I  came  to. reflect 


Chap.  XXV.]  LOITERIXGS  IN  EUROrE.  157 

upon  it,  in  the  cool  street,  seemed  to  have  about  it  something 
of  danger  as  well  as  romance,  and  I  comforted  myself  with  the 
companionship  of  a  respectable  stick,  my  tried  friend  in  the 
Alps.  I  turned  for  a  moment  for  one  earnest  gaze  at  the  Column 
of  Trajan,  then  by  a  winding  way  escaped  from  the  houses  of 
the  modern  city  into  a  kind  of  common,  surrounded  with  ruins — 
the  site  of  the  ancient  Roman  Forum,  and  passing  beneath  the 
Arch  of  Titus  along  the  edge  of  the  Palatine  Hill  and  the  Pal- 
ace of  the  Caesars,  I  presently  reached  the  Arch  of  Constantine, 
when  just  before  me,  like  some  immense  towering  fortress,  more 
impressive  in  the  stillness  and  gloom  of  night,  was  the  Coli- 
seum. 

By  this  time  the  moon  shone  out,  and  there  remained  but  a 
few  flitting  clouds,  that  seemed  determined  to  rain,  and  floating 
in  mid  air,  like  spirits,  filled  the  earth  beneath  with  changing 
lights  and  shadows.  It  seemed  more  impressive,  and  less  like 
day  than  the  glare  of  a  full  moon  in  a  cloudless  sky.  I  appeal 
to'^all  poets,  and  tender  people  too,  if  moonlight  is  not  improved 
by  being  a  little  damp  ]  The  face  of  nature,  like  the  human 
face,  is,  doubtless,  more  interesting  after  weeping. 

The  world  is  already  familiar  with  the  ordinary  daylight  de- 
scription of  this  wonderful  structure,  and  most  are  likely  aware 
that  it  is  a  slightly  oval  amphitheatre,  more  than  a  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high,  and  estimated  to  have  originally  covered  about 
six  acres  of  ground,  and  to  have  been  furnished  with  seats  to 
accommodate  more  than  eighty  thousand  spectators — that  it 
was  commenced  by  Vespasian  and  finished  by  Titus,  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  first  century,  by  the  labor  of  Jewish  captives  ;  and 
that  for  four  succeeding  centuries  it  was  the  scene  of  gladiato- 
rial combats,  and  other  bloody  spectacles  indicative  of  the  taste 
of  a  warlike  and  cruel  people.  To  the  modern  visitor,  one  of 
its  most  touching  associations  arises  from  the  circumstance  that 
it  was  the  spot  where  Ignatius  of  Antioch  and  multitudes  of 
the  early  Christian  martyrs  were  thrown  to^wild  beasts.     Ma- 


158  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXV. 

jestic  as  its  ruins  now  are,  it  is  said  but  about  two  thirds  of 
the  original  pile  remain.  It  endured  the  devastating  changes 
of  a  fortress  in  the  middle  ages,  and  served  as  a  quarry  for  sev- 
eral palaces,  till  about  a  century  since,  with  a  view  to  its  pres- 
ervation, it  was  solemnly  consecrated  by  Benedict  XIV.  to  the 
memory  of  the  Christian  martyrs  who  had  perished  there.  The 
arena  is  now  ornamented  with  rude  representations  of  the  Sa- 
vior's passion,  a  pulpit  in  which  a  monk  occasionally  preaches, 
and  a  cross  in  the  centre,  for  each  kiss  of  which  an  indulgence 
is  promised  for  two  hundred  days. 

I  never  felt  more  vividly  the  fitness  of  the  midnight  hour  for 
lone  contemplation.  Above  were  but  the  moonlit  sky  and  the 
silent  stars  ;  and  around,  frowning  more  .gi'imly  in  the  gloom  of 
midnight,  like  deserted  piles  in  the  city  of  the  dead,  were  some  of 
earth's  proudest  monuments.  How  eloquent  was  that  stillness! 
The  watch-dog  had  forgotten  to  bay  "  beyond  the  Tiber."  Not 
an  echo  died  upon  the  breeze  that  whispered  plaintively  amid 
the  leaves  o^^the  ivy  and  the  ilex,  and  the  crumbUng  arches  on 
the  Palatine  Hill.  The  owl  had  ceased  her  w^ail  in  the  buried 
mansions  of  Augustus,  and  the  damp  vaults  of  the  "  golden 
house"  in  which  Nero  had  once  reveled.  Where  cohorts  in 
shining  armor  had  gathered,  with  their  eagles  proudly  waving, 
and  music,  and  the  shouts  of  assembled  nations  had  rent  the 
air  at  the  elevation  of  the  triumphal  arches  of  Titus  and  Con- 
stantine,  was  now  not  a  human  voice  nor  a  habitable  dwell- 
ing. 

If  with  the  waving  of  a  hand  the  spirits  of  the  mighty  dead 
could  have  been  summoned  from  their  graves  to  gaze  upon  the 
little  that  remained  of  w^hat  had  been  once  their  pride,  what  a 
lesson  would  it  have  been  upon  the  vanity  of  human  ambition  ! 
Yet  who  can  estimate  the  sum  of  mortal  agony  which  these  few 
relics  had  cost ! 

The  busy  fancy  conjured  up  strange  phantoms.  It  needed 
little  effort  to  fill  again  the  empty  seats  of  the  deserted  Coliseum 


Chap.  XXV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  159 

with  a  multitude,  rising  like  a  forest  on  a  mountain-side — to 
picture  the  tyrant  emperor,  the  Roman  guards,  the  vestal  vir- 
gins, and  the  senators  in  the  sumptuous  seats,  nearest  the  arena, 
and  the  various  ranks  in  their  costumes,  receding  away  to  the 
slaves  far  above — the  hush  of  suspense — the  advance  of  a 
bearded,  tottering  old  man,  just  torn  from  the  parting  embrace 
of  a  venerable  matron,  and  a  trembhng  maiden,  and  toward 
whom  every  eye  is  directed — the  glaring  eyes  and  roar  of  the 
hungry  beast — the  moving  of  the  lips,  and  the  upward  look  of 
that  meek  face,  as  if  in  faith  he  saw  the  martyr's  crown — the 
ten'ific  bound — the  victim  quivering  beneath  the  jaws  of  the 
furious  beast  on  the  sand — the  spouting  gore,  staining  the  white 
locks — the  demon  gaze  of  the  multitude  mingled  here  and  there 
with  a  compassionate  face,  in  tears,  and  the  cruel,  drowning 
shouts  of  thousands  of  heathen  voices.  It  was  but  an  idle  dream. 
Th(^  dimness  of  nis^ht  and  the  silence  of  desolation  were  again 
around  me.  I  heard  but  my  breath  and  the  beating  of  my  own 
excited  heart. 

Both  my  imagination  and  my  feet  had  traveled  a  good  dis- 
tance for  so  late  or  early  an  hour,  and  I  naturally  began  to 
think  of  returning.  Walking  round  to  the  side  of  the  Coliseum, 
toward  the  Arch  of  Constantine,  and  casually  looking  home- 
ward, I  perceived  a  real  human  being,  that  was  no  optical  illu- 
sion, making  directly  toward  mc,  in  the  shape  of  a  tall  figure  that, 
with  alittle  feeding  wouldliave  done  for  the  English  horse-guards. 
He  wore  a  cloak  and  slouched  hat,  fit  for  a  representation  of  Guy 
Fawkes,  or  the  picture  of  an  assassin,  and  was  dressed  inferiorly 
in  white  (a  discovery  for  painters),  which  with  advancing  steps, 
by  moonlight,  was  particularly  effective.  I  then  recollected 
the  porter's  warning,  and  determined  to  sound  his  intentions  by 
taking  a  little  circuit.  He  closely  followed.  Just  as  I  began 
to  think  seriously  of  showing  my  defenses,  and  demanding  ex- 
planations, unexpectedly  1  stumbled  upon  one  of  the  pope's 
Bentries,  whom  I  succeeded  in  puzzling  with  bad  Italian  till 


160  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXV. 

my  interesting,  and  possibly  harmless,  follower  had  passed. 
Presently  day  began  to  break,  and  I  returned  to  my  hotel. 

Let  us  retrace  the  route  by  day,  and  notice  some  of  the  ob- 
jects a  little  more  leisurely.  The  Column  of  Trajan  stands  in 
an  excavated  square,  amid  the  bases  of  the  broken  columns  of 
the  Forum  of  Trajan;  and  in  the  series  of  delicately-sculptured 
figures,  winding  spirally  from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  and,  in  gen- 
eral appearance,  somewhat  resembles  the  bronze  imitation  in 
honor  of  Napoleon  in  the  Place  Vendome.  Originally  it  sus- 
tained a  colossal  statue  of  Trajan,  bearing  his  ashes  in  a  ball, 
at  the  height  of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet.  It  was 
built  by  the  celebrated  Apollodorus,  of  white  marble,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  second  century.  Perhaps,  on  the  whole, 
no  monument  of  the  kind  in  the  world  is  more  interesting  or 
beautiful.  In  exquisite  and  wonderfully-preserved  bas-relief, 
it  exhibits  more  than  two  thousand  figures  of  persons,  the  cos- 
tume of  various  conditions,  houses,  armor,  fortifications,  and 
other  devices  illustrative  of  ancient  manners  and  customs,  and 
embodying  an  epitome  of  the  life  of  the  hero.  First  is  the 
crossing  of  the  Danube  upon  a  bridge  of  boats,  then  follow  the 
battles,  storming  of  fortresses,  the  emperor  addressing  his  troops, 
the  reception  of  supplicating  ambassadors,  and  leading  incidents 
of  the  Dacian  wars. 

Then,  as  you  advance  toward  the  Coliseum,  partially  wedged 
in  between  the  Palatine  and  Capitoline  hills,  is  the  site  of  the 
Roman  Forum,  with  three  solitary  upright  Corinthian  pillars, 
relics  of  the  Temple  of  Saturn,  the  adjacent  Arch  of  Septimus 
Severus,  and  the  eight  granite  columns  remaining  of  the  Temple 
of  Vespasian.  Presently  you  are  abreast  of  the  Palatine,  cov- 
ered with  irregular  mounds,  with  here  and  there  broken  arches 
and  masses  of  brickwork  peering  through  the  turf  and  vines, 
in  the  excavations  beneath  which  the  visitor  is  still  shown  damp 
vaults,  and  dark  moldering  chambers,  the  remains  of  the  luxu- 
rious baths  and  sumptuous  halls  of  the  Palace  of  the  Coesars. 


Chap.  XXV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  161 

Hard  by  is  the  finest  of  the  triumphal  arches — that  erected  in 
honor  of  Titus,  and  commemorative  of  the  conquest  of  Jerusa- 
lem. As  directly  corroborating  Holy  Writ,  it  is  deeply  interest- 
ing. Beneath  the  arch,  on  one  side,  is  still  seen  a  procession  in 
bas-relief,  bearing  the  seven-branched  candlestick,  the  golden 
table,  the  silver  trumpets,  and  the  spoils  of  the  Temple,  cor- 
responding exactly  with  the  description  of  Josephus,  and  form- 
ing the  only  authentic  representation  of  these  sacred  utensils 
now  remaining. 

Nearer  the  Coliseum,  and  more  imposing  in  size  than  the 
others,  is  the  Arch  of  Constantino,  exhibiting  evidences  of  the 
plunder  of  a  monument  to  Trajan,  and  the  greatly-degenerated 
sculpture  of  two  centuries  later. 

Happening  to  be  exploring  in  this  direction  one  morning  just 
after  sunrise,  I  went  on  past  the  Coliseum  to  see  the  Santa 
Scala  or  Holy  Stairs.  They  consist  of  a  flight  of  some  twenty- 
eight  marble  steps,  the  same,  according  to  the  Catholic  tradi- 
tion, upon  which  the  Savior  descended  from  the  judgment-seat 
of  Pilate.  So  reverently  are  they  regarded,  that  they  are  pre- 
served with  great  care  in  a  fine  porch  close  to  the  Church  of 
St.  John  in  Lateran,  and  none  are  allowed  to  ascend  them  but 
penitents  on  their  knees.  To  protect  the  stone  from  being 
worn  away  by  the  multitudes  who  seek  to  undergo  this  penance 
it  has  been  necessary,  it  is  said,  to  cover  the  steps  some  three 
times  with  consecrated  wood. 

Three  or  four  devotees  made  the  ascent  during:  the  few  min- 
utes of  my  early  visit.  I  shall  never  forget  tlie  appearance  of 
one  of  their  number,  a  pale,  sickly-looking  monk.  INIorc  earn- 
estly than  the  rest  he  seemed  to  linger  with  his  lips  in  the  dust, 
and  kiss  fervently,  one  by  one,  every  step  till  he  slowly  crawled 
to  the  top.  His  face  had  a  haggard,  wild  expression  of  enthu- 
siasra,  such  as  one  miirht  almost  fancy  in  a  pilgrim  of  the  Ganges; 
and  his  frame  appeared  wasted  to  a  skeleton,  as  if  by  night- 
■vvatching  and  self-imposed  suffering.     I  looked  on,  with  the  nat- 


162  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

ural  iricredulousness  of  one  of  another  faith;  but  I  felt  no  dispo- 
eition  to  ridicule.  There  seemed  more  cause  to  pity  than  to 
sneer.  The  Searcher  of  hearts  only  knows  how  many  of  the 
misguided  are  sincere.  I  frankly  confess  there  is  to  me  some- 
thing solemn  and  touching  in  every  seeming  attempt  of  erring 
humanity  to  propitiate  its  God  that  compels  me  to  treat  it  with 
decent  respect.  The  pains  which  the  distracted  spirit  may  even 
blindly  inflict  upon  its  fleshly  tenement,  in  its  yearnings  for  a 
happier  world,  are  at  least  signs  of  the  instinct  of  its  own  im- 
mortality. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"  Caught  Napping" — Subterranean  Celebration — St.  Peter's — Sistine  Chapel 
— The  Vatican — Last  Judgment — Raphael's  Transfiguration — Baths  of 
Dioclesian. 

Whatever  is  very  unexpected  naturally  impresses  us  strong- 
ly. The  most  careless  individual  who  had  gone  regularly  to  bed 
at  home,  would  doubtless  be  surprised  into  marked  attention  to 
wake  up  and  find  himself  in  his  seat  in  church,  as  the  French 
have  it,  assisting  at  a  sermon.  People  rarely  go  to  church  in 
sleep,  though  they  sometimes  go  to  sleep  in  church.  I  had  one 
evening  retired  to  rest,  wearied  with  the  labor  of  sight-seeing, 
and  for  aught  I  know  might  have  been  in  the  midst  of  a  solo 
of  those  nasal  sounds  denoting  deep  slumber,  when  I  was  all  at 
once  awaked  by  the  mournful  chanting  of  a  multitude  of 
voices.  As  soon  as  I  knew  where  I  was,  I  sprang  to  the  win- 
dow, and  found  the  street  in  front  filled  at  the  lone  midnight 
hour  with  a  religious  procession.  Part  of  the  company  in  a 
grave,  bass  tone  repeated  a  sentence  or  two,  and  the  rest,  in  a 
higher  key,  solemnly  chimed  a  response.  I  fancied  they  were 
doing  it  as  a  sort  of  penance.     Every  night  for  some  time  sue- 


Chap.  XXVI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  163 

ceeding,  at  precisely  the  same  hour,  I  was  regularly  startled 
from  sleep  by  this  singular  service. 

I  set  out  one  day  rather  leisurely  for  a  visit  to  St.  Peter's. 
Taking  a  turn  through  one  of  the  more  retired  streets,  I  was 
engaged  in  reflecting  upon  the  silver  shoe-buckles  of  the  last 
priest,  meditating  upon  the  well-feigned  deformity  of  the  latest 
applicant  for  alms,  or  some  other  harmless  occupation,  when 
my  cogitations  were  arrested  by  a  crowd  entering  a  small  an- 
cient church.  I  followed.  They  pushed  on  through  a  narrow 
passage,  and  presently  descended  into  a  set  of  spacious  vaults 
beneath,  lighted  up  with  wax  candles,  and  filled  to  suffocation 
with  throngs  of  the  eager  living  in  the  place  of  the  dead.  The 
walls  were  covered  with  bones  and  skeletons  arranged  as  if  for 
more  fearful  effect,  and  in  one  compartment  were  wax  figures 
of  grim-looking  Roman  soldiers  with  spears  and  ancient  ar- 
mor, and  a  group  of  characters,  among  which  was  a  beauti- 
ful girl,  apparently  about  to  be  executed  as  a  martyr.  I  learn- 
ed, upon  inquiry,  that  it  was  a  holyday,  kept  in  memory  of 
the  Christian  martyrs,  many  of  whom  were  reputed  to  be  bur- 
ied there.  An  ecclesiastic  stood  at  the  door  rattling  a  box  very 
significantly  for  contributions.  The  novelty  of  these  ceremonies 
to  one  unaccustomed  to  them  was,  doubtless,  enhanced  by  sud- 
den surprise. 

Continuing  my  walk,  I  presently  stood  at  the  entrance  of  the 
magnificent  Piazza  of  St.  Peter's.  This,  it  will  be  remember- 
ed,  is  a  kind  of  outer  court,  nearly  inclosed  by  two  lofty  cir- 
cular colonnades  with  pillars,  four  deep,  exj)an(ling  from  the 
front  of  the  church  like  long-advanced  wings,  inclosing  ground 
enough  for  a  tolerable  city  park,  and  capable,  according  to 
Roman  periodicals,  of  containing  a  half  a  million  of  persons,  or 
more  than  the  entire  population  of  New  York.  Within  this 
area  the  multitude  receive  the  pope's  blessing  from  the  balcony 
of  St.  Peter's  during  the  ceremonies  of  the  holy  week.  As  has 
often  been  observed,  the  effect  of  these  imposing  outworks,  the 


164  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

complicated  high  front,  with  its  three  stones  and  heavy  balco- 
nies, equally  fit  for  a  palace  or  a  theatre,  and  the  colossal  stat- 
ues and  other  appendages,  is  to  partially  conceal  its  crowning 
beauty,  the  unrivaled  dome.  You  feel  that  the  later  barbarous 
additions  to  the  front,  with  an  exception  or  two,  seem  like  an 
insult  to  the  shade  of  Michael  Angelo,  and  you  regret  that  it 
was  impossible  that  he  could  have  lived  to  be  the  architect  of 
the  whole.  Externally,  especially,  there  is  a  want  of  unity  and 
simplicity.  Yet  it  is  scarcely  reasonable  to  expect,  that  an  edi- 
fice that,  with  its  appendages,  was  some  three  centuries  and  a 
half  in  building,  under  forty  different  popes,  and  many  succeed- 
ing architects,  should  be  without  faults  of  this  kind.  It  is  only 
after  you  enter  and  scan  the  massive  columns,  the  wide-spread 
arches  and  giant  figures,  and  lose  the  tread  and  voices  of  the 
diminished  human  beings  in  the  gloomy  distance,  and  gaze 
upon  the  gorgeous  concave  of  its  dome  till  the  head  grows 
dizzy,  that  you  begin  fairly  to  realize  the  grandeur  of  the  great- 
est of  earthly  temples.  Suddenly  there  breaks  upon  you  a  rev- 
elation of  the  sublime  genius  of  Michael  Angelo.  You  feel  it 
almost  a  sin  that  you  were  at  first  so  inclined  to  censure. 

Though  a  few  of  the  extravagances  of  Bernini  may  offend 
your  taste,  yet  when  you  come  to  dwell  more  leisurely  upon 
the  later  monuments  of  Canova  and  Thorwaldsen,  and  examine 
some  of  the  choicest  productions  of  Raphael  and  Guido,  imi- 
tated in  mosaic  so  delicately  as  to  lead  the  uninitiated  to  believe 
these  copies  to  be  oil  paintings,  you  begin  to  esteem  the  place 
as  a  very  interesting  depository  of  art. 

In  the  centre,  where  the  lamps  are  ever  burning,  is  the  tomb 
of  the  erring  disciple  thus  honored.  On  one  side  as  you  enter, 
is  also  the  famous  black  bronze  statue  of  St.  Peter,  the  extend- 
ed great  toe  of  which  is  devoutly  kissed  every  few  moments  by 
some  of  the  throng  of  worshipers. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  repeat  the  account  of  the  well- 
Isnown  ceremonies  in  St.  Peter's,  or  enter  into  details  of  the 


Chap.  XXVI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  165 

grand  illumination  during  the  holy  week,  when,  by  the  light  of 
thousands  of  lamps  suspended  over  the  whole  of  the  outside, 
every  line  and  projection  of  the  immense  edifice,  as  if  by  magic, 
flame  in  the  darkness  of  night  unconsumed — the  pope  blessing 
the  people — washing  the  feet  of  twelve  aged  priests,  and  after- 
ward waiting  on  them  at  table — the  grand  masses  for  the  dead, 
and  the  festival  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul — the  Christmas  serv- 
ice, and  blessing  a  hat  and  sword  as  a  present  to  some  Catholic 
prince,  or  any  of  the  imposing  celebrations  so  often  described. 
Some  of  them  draw  a  vast  concourse  of  strangers ;  yet  it  is  said 
to  be  almost  impossible  to  have  so  large  an  edifice  entirely 
filled.  It  has  been  recently  calculated  to  be  able  to  accom- 
modate at  once  fifty  thousand  persons,  and  the  area  is  estimat- 
ed to  be  considerably  more  than  twice  the  size  of  St.  Paul's 
at  London,  or  Notre  Dame  at  Paris.  INIy  impression  of  its 
vastness  was  increased  by  mounting  to  the  roof  and  climbing 
up  to  the  ball.  The  view,  at  an  elevation  of  more  than  four 
hundred  feet  above  one  of  the  most  interesting  fields  in  the 
world,  is  really  magnificent. 

Hard  by  St.  Peter's  is  the  Palace  of  the  Vatican.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  days  spent  in  dreaming  over  the  wonders  in  its 
museum.  The  gems  of  the  vast  collection  of  statues  are  placed 
in  a  gi'oup  of  apartments  around  an  octagonal  court  in  which  are 
the  Boxers,  by  Canova;  the  Belvidere  Antinous,  so  exquisite 
in  its  anatomy  ;  the  Laocoon,  supposed  to  be  that  which  Pliny 
described  as  a  work  superior  to  "  all  others  both  in  painting 
and  statuary;"  the  famous  Apollo  Belvidere,  and  other  choice 
things.  It  was  worthy  to  observe,  that,  as  if  by  instinct,  those 
apartments  of  which  the  two  latter  trophies  of  art  were  the  sole 
ornaments,  were  always  most  crowded  with  spectators.  The 
group  of  the  Laocoon  is  singularly  interesting  to  any  whose 
profession  or  other  causes  have  led  them  to  study  particularly 
the  human  frame  and  the  process  of  dying.  Each  of  the  three 
figures  expresses  just  the  amount  of  life  which  would  naturally 


166  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

remain.  The  younger  of  the  two  boys,  or  that  to  the  left  of 
the  spectator,  is  strongly  compressed,  the  side  of  his  chest  is 
grasped  severely  by  the  fangs  of  one  of  the  serpents,  he  lies 
almost  passive,  and  his  are  the  later  pangs  of  death,  in  which 
the  external  world  is  forgotten.  The  elder  boy,  on  the  other 
side,  more  free  and  less  injured,  looks  pitifully  up  at  the  father, 
as  for  relief,  and  tries  fearfully  to  push  off  the  serpent's  coil 
from  his  beautiful  limbs,  while  the  father,  more  entangled  and 
bitten,  yet  contends  with  all  the  energy  of  manhood,  in  his 
muscular  arms,  and  expressive,  agonized  face,  to  save  himself 
and  his  offspring. 

As  evidence  that  the  ancient  sculptors  studied  nature  very 
closely,  even  in  the  smallest  trifles,  I  obsei^ved  that  on  one  part 
where  the  body  of  the  lower  serpent  pressed  the  leg  of  the 
father,  that  the  veins  were  turgid  below,  and  almost  obliterated 
for  a  distance  above. 

And  who,  upon  paper,  can  do  justice  to  the  Apollo  Belvi- 
dere  1  You  return  and  return,  to  get  a  last  look,  till  you  almost 
chide  yourself  Hardly  could  you  before  believe  that  so  much 
of  exulting,  flashing  life  and  beauty,  and  might,  could  be  ex- 
pressed in  marble. 

It  would  take  long  to  enumerate  the  other  great  attrac- 
tions of  the  Vatican — to  speak  of  its  Etruscan  and  Egyptian 
museums  and  its  unrivaled  library.  Forming  part  of  this  pal- 
ace is  the  celebrated  Sistine  Chapel,  where,  during  the  holy 
week,  the  miserere  is  sung,  and  one  end  of  which  is  covered 
with  the  immense  fresco,  by  Michael  Angelo,  of  the  Last  Judg- 
ment. I  never  gazed  on  so  terrific  a  picture.  The  frowning 
Judge,  the  martyrs  lising  with  the  emblems  of  their  suffering, 
the  promiscuous  trembling  of  the  affrighted  condemned  into 
the  flaming  gulf  below,  are  expressed  with  a  masterly  power 
almost  inconceivable.  Yet,  as  works  of  art,  the  embodiments 
of  harmony  and  beauty  in  the  school  of  Athens,  and  the  rest  of 
the  stanze  of  Raphael,  and  above  all  his  matchless  picture  of 


Chap.  XXVI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  167 

the  Transfiguration,  in  the  adjoining  apartments,  find  many 
more  admirers.  It  will  be  recollected  it  was  this  masteipiece 
of  the  greatest  of  painters  that  was  hung  over  his  corpse  as  it 
laid  in  state  at  his  early  and  gi*eatly-lamented  death.  The  pic- 
ture represents  the  Savior  in  unearthly  beauty  and  majesty, 
caught  up  in  the  air  with  the  floating  figures  of  Moses  and 
Elijah,  above  Mount  Tabor,  while  on  the  ground  beneath  them 
are  stretched  the  three  apostles,  unable  to  bear  the  light,  and 
in  the  distance,  far  below,  at  the  gloomy  foot  of  the  mountain, 
are  a  group  personifying  human  suifering.  A  maniac  boy,  pos- 
sessed of  an  evil  spirit,  with  a  livid  face,  distorted  eyes,  and  con- 
vulsed liinbs,  is  struggling  between  two  females  kneeling  and 
beseecl»ng  the  disciples,  two  of  whom  point,  as  if  to  the  only 
source  of  relief,  away  to  the  glorified  figure  in  the  sky,  personi- 
f}nng  the  mercy  of  Heaven.  There  seemed  strange  pathos  and 
poetry  in  the  conception,  and  the  earnest  gaze  upon  the  repre- 
sentation of  that  scene,  recalling  reminiscences  of  deliverances 
in  hours  of  trial  and  deadly  sickness  brought  tears  upon  one 
face  present. 

Indeed,  one  can  spend  much  time  in  Rome  looking  at  nothing 
but  pictures.  Without  mentioning  the  churches,  you  can  grat- 
ify your  taste  leisurely  with  Raphael's  Entombment  of  Christ, 
the  sweet  Madonna  of  Carlo  Dolci,  and  other  gems  in  the  gal- 
lery of  the  Borghese  Palace  ;  the  beautiful  landscapesof  Claude 
in  that  of  Prince  Doria,  and  Guido's  very  celebrated  picture  of 
the  lovely,  innocent-looking,  and  sorrowful  Beatrice  Cenci,  in 
the  Barberini  gallery,  taken,  it  is  said,  from  memory,  as  she 
was  passing  to  her  execution. 

There  are  also  interminable  ruins.  Of  those  undescribed,  the 
Baths  of  Caracalla  are  among  the  most  stujiendous  :  yet  from 
certain  capricious  early  associations,  I  lingered  longer  over  the 
far  less  imposing  remains  of  the  Baths  of  Dioclesian.  There 
was  more  of  romance  in  the  history  of  the  prosperous  warrior 
and  statesman  who  could  bring  himself  voluntarily  to  resign  a 


168  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

crown.  If  any  friend  addicted  to  sentiment  and  poetry — one 
who  may  have  ever  so  carelessly  amused  himself  with  rhyme, 
as  a  child  wdth  musical  instruments — just  to  hear  how  it 
would  jingle — or  innocently  conned  over  the  Greek  alphabet 
for  a  signature  for  the  village  paper,  should  think  of  visiting 
the  Eternal  City,  we  caution  him  against  exposure  to  old  ruins. 
They  are  as  infectious  as  the  miasma. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Adieu  to  a  Bz-eakfast — Italian  Village — Papal  States — Monk  in  a  Minority 
— IMonte  Cassino — Capua — Vesuvius — Skirmish  with  Lazzaroni. 

It  is  a  very  old  sentiment  that  there  is  no  bliss  without  slight 
twinges  of  pain.  I  arose  one  delicious  sunny  morning  full  of 
visions  of  scenes  of  southern  Italy,  and  in  fancy  pictured  even 
the  Bay  of  Naples.  Rome  was  particularly  quiet,  and  seemed 
to  have  overslept  itself.  The  payment  for  the  formidable  list  of 
names  on  my  passport,  and  the  highest  fare  I  had  met  in  Europe 
for  a  place  in  a  shabby  diligence — the  mistakes  of  a  razor — the 
hasty  adieu  to  the  ruins  of  a  breakfast — and  the  moving  ad- 
ventures of  my  baggage  in  pursuit  of  its  ow^ner  were  soon 
things  of  the  past.  I  was  in  too  happy  a  mood  to  be  disturbed 
by  trifles.  The  air  was  balmy  as  the  breath  of  spring,  and  the 
Italian  sky,  so  liquid  blue  and  transparent,  seemed  like  the  can- 
opy of  some  happier  world.  While  our  friends  at  home  were 
shivering  over  their  wintry  fires,  evergreens  and  roses  in  full 
bloom  peeped  here  and  there  among  the  old  walls  beyond  the 
Coliseum. 

There  are  two  principal  routes  to  Naples :  one  by  Terracina, 
traversing  for  some  distance  the  Pontine  Marshes,  and  partially 
following  the  course  of  the  ancient  Appian  Way,  and  the  fa 
mous  journey  of  Horace ;  and  another  shorter  road  more  inland, 


Chap.  XXVII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  169 

among  the  mountains.  We  chose  the  latter.  Traversing  the 
Campagna  toward  Frascati,  we  soon  reached  the  pleasant  hills. 
A  party  of  peasants  with  supplies  for  the  market,  in  primitive 
style,  unyoked  their  oxen  to  feed  by  the  roadside,  and  then 
gathered  around  their  own  homely  fare.  Here  and  there  we 
met  sorry-looking  vehicles,  drawn  by  a  single  horse,  laden  with 
casks  of  wine.  By  a  simple  contrivance  they  were  scantily 
sheltered  by  a  few  sticks  radiating  from  a  common  centre  in  one 
corner,  or  the  leaning  branch  of  a  tree,  covered  with  the  loose 
hide  of  some  animal — the  original,  probably,  of  the  top  of  a 
modern  gentleman's  coach.  Half  reclining  beneath  this  paltry 
covering  was  stretched  the  driver,  basking  in  rags,  apparently 
enjoying  what  the  Italians  term  the  dolcc  far  niente,  a  phrase 
difficult  to  translate,  but  probably  familiar  to  many  as  express- 
ing the  ecstasy  of  prolonged  dreamy  indolence.  It  was  a  warm, 
relaxing  day,  and  every  body  and  every  living  thing  we  saw 
moved  so  languidly  that  the  sensation  seemed  really  contagious. 
The  general  apparent  relish  for  its  endurance  reminded  one  of 
the  story  of  the  Indian  who,  on  quaffing  very  gradually  a  favorite 
draught,  wished  for  the  addition  of  a  couple  of  miles  to  his 
throat,  that  he  might  taste  it  all  the  way  along.  In  this  health- 
ier hilly  country  I  had  hardly  expected  to  find  so  much  slug- 
gishness. Every  thing  seemed  going  to  decay.  A  Roman 
patriot  attempting  the  best  apology  for  its  ecclesiastical  govern- 
ment might  say  something,  perhaps,  of  the  enervating  inilueuce 
of  chmate  ;  but  there  seemed  deeper  ills  resting  upon  this  fruit- 
ful, yet  blighted  land.  The  soil  appeared  naturally  rich,  the 
wheat-fields,  even  with  poor  cultivation,  in 'spots  were  beauti- 
fully rank  and  green  ;  carelcssly-trcllised  vines  spread  luxuri- 
antly here  and  there ;  and  ever  and  anon,  there  burst  upon  the 
view  in  the  distance,  a  lovely  landscape,  that  only  betrayed  its 
wretchedness  as  we  draw  near.  Having  taken  my  meal  in  ad- 
vance, as  the  diligence  leisurely  stopped  an  hour  for  breakfast, 
I  perambulated  the  adjoining  filthy  village.     Groups  of  ragged 

H 


170  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

creatures  were  lazily  roasting  chestnuts,  and  lounging  in  the  few 
open  spots  ;  the  contents  of  its  narrow  lanes  would  have  well 
manured  some  of  the  neighbormg  fields,  and  the  odor  was  so 
offensive  that  I  was  glad  to  make  a  speedy  retreat.  The 
houses  were  diminutive,  iiTegular,  and  I  had  never  seen  a  col- 
lection of  human  habitations  so  wretched.  As  we  left,  a  de- 
tachment of  beggars  followed  the  diligence  for  some  distance. 
Farther  on,  we  were  sui'prised  to  find  the  open  country  so 
thinly  inhabited.  Many  spots  could  not  compare  in  population 
with  an  American  back-settlement  of  a  dozen  years.  In  some 
portions  of  the  Neapolitan  territories,  and  especially  in  the 
north  of  Italy  and  Tuscany,  we  afterward  found  a  far  more 
prosperous  state  of  things.  The  question  naturally  occurs,  Why 
should  central  Italy,  once  so  populous,  be  now  so  desolate  1 
There  has  been  scarcely  any  emigration.  The  wars  of  Napo- 
leon principally  affected  Lombardy  and  the  north,  and  were 
almost  unfelt  in  the  Papal  States.  Space  enough  for  reparation 
has  elapsed  since  the  decay  at  the  era  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
mentioned  by  Sismondi.  Since  the  time  of  Julius  II.  none  of 
the  popes  have  turned  wan-iors,  to  enlarge  the  patrimony  of 
St.  Peter,  and  for  more  than  three  hundred  years  it  has  seen 
scarcely  any  thing  of  bloodshed  and  devastation. 

Toward  sunset  we  wound  through  a  valley  of  singular  nat- 
ural beauty,  and  late  in  the  evening  stopped  to  refresh  at  a 
vn-etched  little  cabaret.  There  was  a  mingled  murmur  of 
French,  English,  German,  and  Italian  at  the  fare ;  but  hun- 
ger knows  no  law,  and  the  unpalatable  biscuits  and  coffee  of 
mine  host,  in  spite  of  remonstrances,  rapidly  disappeared.  Our 
conveyance  was  divided  into  compartments,  and  regulated 
much  as  a  French  diligence,  only  that  the  prices  of  all  the 
places  were  equal ;  and  being  among  the  unfortunate  applicants 
who  were  last,  I  was  compelled  to  ride  sideways,  and  crowd 
into  a  little  close  place  in  the  rear.  My  next  neighbor  was  a 
good-natured  monk,  not  particularly  addicted  to  cleanliness,  who 


Chap.  XX VII.]  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROPE.  171 

in  our  afflictions,  had  freely  proffered  the  consolations  of  a  snuff- 
box, and  from  a  well-worn  ancient  volume,  printed  in  red  and 
black,  while  daylight  lasted,  had  kept  repeating  aloud  his  ac- 
customed Latin  forms,  for  the  edification  of  another  Protestant 
and  myself  He  seemed  to  think  ventilation  inconsistent  with 
religious  seclusion,  and  to  desire  to  make  our  traveling  apart- 
ment as  much  of  a  monastery  as  possible  ;  and  there  was  an 
amusing  strife  between  the  poor  monk  and  the  majonty,  as  to 
whether  the  window  should  be  open  or  shut.  Near  daylight 
we  arrived  at  the  custom-house,  on  the  frontier,  and  after  the 
rummaging  of  passports  and  baggage  for  some  time,  and  the 
amicable  adjustment  of  all  disputes,  by  means  of  a  few  pauls, 
we  were  permitted  to  enter  the  Neapolitan  dominions.  We 
breakfasted  at  a  little  town  not  far  from  Arpino,  the  birthplace 
of  Cicero,  and  enjoyed  a  fine  view  of  the  famous  Benedictine 
convent  of  Monte  Cassino.  It  is  perched  far  above  the  town, 
upon  a  lofty  height.  As  the  earliest  estabhshment  of  the  kind 
in  the  Western  world,  and  containing  a  library  in  which  were 
preserved  some  of  the  most  precious  works  of  classical  antiquity, 
and  which  is  still  one  of  the  richest  in  the  rude  Hterature  of  the 
dark  ages,  it  possesses  much  interest. 

The  day  was  most  lovely.  One  could  not  help  occasionally 
uncovering  his  feverish  forehead  to  let  the  soothing  breeze  play 
with  its  locks.  We  revived  from  a  state  of  torpor,  like  hiber- 
nating animals  in  spring.  Sometimes  as  our  yoimg  officials,  in 
tawdry  uniform,  leisurely  halted  to  change  horses,  a  party  of 
passengers  would  break  out  and  playfully  start  a  pedestrian 
opposition  in  advance,  and  when  they  were  overtaken,  it  was 
interesting  to  see  the  smile,  and  the  winning  way  with  which 
the  steps  were  let  down,  in  hopes  of  future  remembrance. 
Cultivation  improved,  and  the  world  without  began  to  look 
brighter.  As  the  pleasantly-terraced  hills  of  the  moniing  reced- 
ed, we  came  to  a  rich,  level  country.  At  last  we  entered 
through  a  circle  of  formidable  fortifications  into  Capua.     The 


172  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

modern  representative  of  what  was  once  reputed  the  third  city 
of  the  world  is  rather  insignificant,  but  the  climate  is  still  deli- 
cious, and  its  suiTOunding  volcanic  soil  is  as  productive  as  ever. 

There  was  a  dearth  of  Neapolitan  change  among  us,  and  a 
fine  looking  swarthy  urchin,  with  a  roguish  black  eye,  and  pos- 
sibly a  tinge  of  Carthaginian  in  his  veins,  followed  us  from  place 
to  place  through  the  town,  and  teased  us  amazingly.  One  of 
the  company  declared  he  had  noticed  his  perseverance  in  the 
same  vocation  a  year  or  two  previous,  and  he  certainly  was  a 
little  Hannibal  in  his  way. 

Beyond  Capua,  nearly  all  the  way  to  Naples,  stretched  the 
most  fruitful  plain  I  had  ever  seen.  It  was  the  famous  Cam- 
pania Felix  of  the  Romans,  whose  fertility  was  so  justly  cele- 
brated by  Virgil.  As  in  olden  time,  it  is  still  planted  with  rows 
of  elms  of  moderate  size,  upon  which  vines  every  where  cling, 
and  pass  overhead  occasionally  in  festoons,  so  trimmed  as  not 
to  obsti'uct  the  light  to  the  wheat  or  other  grain  below;  and 
it  vividly  reminds  one  of  the  description  of  the  Georgics. 

Presently  it  grew  dark,  and  we  looked  forward  in  the  dim 
distance,  and  saw  a  dark  mass  peering  toward  the  clouds, 
crowned  with  a  fiery  brightness  mingled  with  smoke,  and  there 
burst  forth  the  exclamation,  "  Mount  Vesuvius  !"  I  could  not 
keep  my  eyes  from  that  mountain  light-house,  and  little  heeded 
the  bustle  of  one  of  the  noisiest  cities  of  Europe  as  we  entered 
the  streets  of  Naples.  Sleep  in  a  quiet  quarter  came  with  a 
double  relish,  and  the  next  morning  the  first  thought  was  of  the 
volcano.  In  my  eagerness  I  could  scarcely  then  appreciate  the 
beauty  around  me.  By  what  I  confess  seems  now  a  morbid 
and  unreasonable  caprice,  the  battle-field  of  Waterloo  and 
Mount  Vesuvius  interested  me  more  in  anticipation  than  any 
other  scenes  in  Europe. 

Having  secured  the  services  of  a  guide,  with  a  torch  and 
other  equipments,  I  made  my  arrangements  to  remain  after 
dark  at  the  top.     It  was  a  beautiful  afternoon   as  we  slowly 


Chap.  XXVII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  173 

ascended  from  Resina,  winding  amid  the  most  luxuriant  vine- 
yards, and  mounting,  one  after  the  other,  mounds  and  hard- 
ened rivers  of  lava,  the  deposits  of  the  various  eruptions  of  a 
thousand  years.  We  passed  the  guard  stationed  near  the  spot 
where  the  guide  said  a  party  of  English,  with  their  wives,  had 
baen  nmrdered  by  robbers,  a  few  years  since,  and  near  the 
summit  saw  the  sun  in  strange  beauty  set  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  Mediterranean.  Panting  up  the  highest  and  steepest  ascent, 
all  bare  and  black,  without  any  thing  to  lay  hold  upon,  and  with 
our  feet  sinking  every  step  in  the  ashes  and  loose  cinders,  we  at 
last  caught  the  smell  of  sulphur  and  the  sight  of  fire.  Melted  lava 
was  slowly  oozing  at  two  or  three  spots  outside,  below  the  brim 
of  the  crater,  and  we  went  and  stood  beside  one  of  these  burn- 
ing streams,  while  one  of  the  men  present  thrust  a  stick  into  the 
fiery  viscid  mass,  and  brought  out  a  portion  of  lava,  which,  like 
a  piece  of  dough,  he  molded  with  the  stick  for  me  round  a  cop- 
per coin.  The  volcano  had  been  unusually  active  for  some  days. 
One  of  my  fellow-travelers,  in  trying  to  protect  a  lady,  had  just 
burned  and  spoiled  a  good  coat,  and  a  piece  of  burning  rock 
had  hit  and  severely  injured  his  hand.  Every  few  moments  an 
explosion  rent  the  air.  The  sulphurous  stench  nearly  stifled 
us,  and  the  ground  was  reeking  hot  beneath  our  feet.  I  greatly 
desired  to  see  the  crater,  and  tried  urgently  to  get  the  guide  to 
pilot  me.  After  coming  all  the  way  from  Rome  to  look  into 
the  throat  of  the  fiery  monster,  it  was  hard  to  be  disappointed. 
But  this  ordinary  feat  had  become  highly  dangerous.  After  de- 
mun-ing  awhile,  he  grasped  my  hand,  and  seizing  a  more  calm 
moment,  rushed  with  me  for  a  few  dizzy  seconds  to  a  spot  over- 
looking the  burning  abyss.  The  fearful  convulsive  explosions 
shaking  the  ground  beneath  us — the  hissing  of  melted  rocks 
hurled  high  in  air — and  the  boiling  fiery  gulf  below  contrasting 
with  the  darkness  of  night,  and  the  murky  cloud  above,  will 
never  be  forgotten.  Presently  there  was  a  heaving  in  the  direc- 
tion in  which  we  stood,  and  the  guide  took  to  his  heels,  drag- 


174  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVIIL 

ging  me  after  him,  and  we  managed  to  dodge  the  shower  of  hot 
grape  that  fell  around.  Returning  down  the  mountain,  by 
torchlight,  to  Resina,  I  overtook  my  suffering  friend,  who  had 
met  with  no  further  accident,  except  the  falling  of  his  horse. 

We  fancied  our  adventures  for  the  night  were  finished,  and 
quietly  crowded  into  one  of  the  conveyances  that  you  see  about 
Naples,  with  furious  drivers,  and  horses  without  bits,  merely 
curbed  by  a  strap  above  the  nostrils.  But  we  were  mistaken. 
Our  Jehu  lightly  grazed  one  of  the  ragged  lazzaroni,  and  as  he 
halted  to  see  if  any  harm  was  done,  the  offended  party  drew  a 
knife,  which,  missing  the  driver,  passed  just  in  front  of  my  knee, 
while  the  latter,  pale  as  a  sheet,  put  whip  to  his  horse  and  dis- 
tanced two  or  three  pursuers  that  by  this  time  joined  in  the 
chase.  I  went  to  bed  heartily  tired,  and  thankful  for  having 
escaped  unhurt  through  the  incidents  of  the  day. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Bay   of  Naples — Street    Customs — Lazzaroni — "Gallant   Friend" — Virgil's 
Tomb — Grotto  of  Posilippo — Sibyl's  Cave — Elysimn — Pompeii. 

I  HAVE  a  vivid  recollection  of  sitting  one  evening  in  company 
with  a  fi'iend  upon  the  flat  roof  of  the  hotel  near  the  shore,  and 
rapturously  gazing  upon  the  beauties  of  sunset  in  the  Bay  of 
Naples  till  the  gentle  chime  of  Ave  Maria  came  over  the  wa- 
ters. It  was  one  of  those  earthly  visions  that  return  not  in  their 
original  brightness.  The  placid  silvery  wave,  dimpled  here  and 
there  by  the  tiny  bark  with  its  white  sail,  the  dim  azure  isles 
like  gems  in  the  sea,  the  shore  like  a  terrestrial  paradise,  and  the 
magic  of  the  declining  sun  throwing  lights  and  shadows  over 
distant  mountains,  presented  a  picture  that  none  but  the  Om- 
nipotent could  create.     It  was  sabbath.     There  seemed  religion 


Chap.  XXVIIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  175 

in  the  hour,  and  this  may  have  served  to  engrave  its  memory 
more  deeply  upon  the  heart. 

Imagine  the  Bay  of  New  York  somewhat  enlarged,  and  the 
Narrows  removed,  so  that  it  rather  expands  toward  the  sea  ; 
in  place  of  the  farther  Jersey  shore  let  a  chain  of  romantic 
rocky  islands  extend  out  some  twenty  miles  along  the  widenino- 
entrance;  on  the  opposite  side,  remove  Governor's  Island  out 
to  sea  as  a  sort  of  natural  breakwater,  to  keep  the  waters  tran- 
quil within,  and  indicate  the  position  of  the  elevated  and  pic- 
turesque island  of  Capri ;  fancy  the  North  and  East  livers 
closed,  and  the  whole  bay  surrounded  with  an  amphitheatre  of 
hills,  now  softly  receding  and  again  boldly  advancing ;  picture 
the  city  and  its  dependencies  with  their  white  walls  reflected  in 
the  clear  waters,  stretched  as  an  unbroken  crescent  some  ten 
miles  along  their  inland  margin  ;  beyond  Brooklyn  Heights  let  a 
peak  rise  loftier  than  the  rest,  clad  in  fire  to  represent  Vesu- 
vius ;  and,  to  make  the  contrast  of  beauty  and  stillness  below 
more  remarkable,  let  the  waters  be  the  bluest,  and  calmest,  and 
their  breath  the  sweetest,  and  the  sky  above  the  loveliest  that 
your  senses  have  ever  known,  and  you  have  an  attempted  image 
of  the  Bay  of  Naples. 

I  saw  nowhere  more  external  liveliness  than  in  this  southern 
city.  The  Mediterranean  has  latterly  become  a  thronged  sea, 
and  Naples  attracts  a  goodly  share  of  its  commerce.  Besides, 
the  mildness  of  the  climate  allows  nearly  every  kind  of  occupa- 
tion and  trade  to  be  carried  on  in  the  open  air,  and  in  some  of 
the  back  streets  you  may  find  eating,  drinking,  tailoring,  black- 
smithing,  and  countless  other  things,  going  on  in  the  street. 
With  the  furious  driving  of  the  vehicles,  the  hubbub  is  prodig- 
ious. The  Neapolitans,  too,  seem  a  most  excitable,  noisy  peo- 
ple, and  to  be  blessed  with  remarkable  lungs,  which  have  prob- 
ably grown  powerful  by  use.  Loud  and  boisterous  discussions 
arise  about  the  most  trivial  matters,  and  a  stranger  would  almost 
imagine  that  the  parties  were  about  to  eat  each  other,  when 


176  LOITE RINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXVIIL 

they  mean  no  sucli  thing.  They  are  celebrated  throughout  Italy 
for  the  extent  and  violence  of  their  gestures,  and  for  excelhng 
ill  pantomime.  Many  may  be  familiar  with  a  rather  hard  hit 
of  a  late  traveler,  w^ho  relates  the  case  of  a  person  in  the  street 
touching  his  lips  and  waving  the  extended  five  fingers  of  his 
hand  at  the  angle  forty-five  degrees,  as  a  sign  to  a  passing 
friend ;  and  on  inquiring  the  meaning  he  learned  that  it  was  to 
telegraph  the  second  party  as  a  guest  to  dinner  at  half-past 
five. 

Along  the  shore  toward  Portici,  somewhat  reformed  in  their 
habits,  you  see  swarms,  the  descendants  of  the  true  lazzaroni, 
still  inclined  to  sleep  in  the  open  air,  rejoice  in  scanty  garments, 
and  bask  listlessly  in  the  sun.  They  seem  to  live  principally 
on  shell-fish  and  macaroni,  the  latter  of  which  they  manage 
to  swallow  in  strings  very  dextrously ;  and  the  clamors  and 
pranks  around  a  temporary  out-door  cooking  establishment  in 
the  edge  of  a  fine  evening  are  really  diverting.  The  govern- 
ment has  of  late  years  m^ade  efforts  to  diminish  their  numbers 
and  improve  their  condition  with  considerable  success. 

One  pleasant  afternoon  I  clambered  up  the  romantic,  vine- 
clad  ridge  separating  the  Bay  of  Naples  from  the  Gulf  of  Baiae, 
on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Tomb  of  Virgil.  My  companion  was  full 
of  Oxford  lore  and  classical  enthusiasm.  He  v/as  the  same  gal- 
lant friend  who  had  so  narrowly  escaped  the  fate  of  the  younger 
Pliny,  and  who  had  borne  upon  his  coat  and  hand  the  honora- 
ble scars  received  in  rescuing  the  fair  upon  Mount  Vesuvius. 
We  were  annoyed  with  throngs  of  unnecessary  guides  offering 
to  conduct  us  in  a  perfectly  plain  road,  so  ugly  as  to  mar  the 
poetry  of  the  expedition.  At  last  a  pretty  little  black-eyed  girl, 
some  six  years  of  age,  lisped  Italian  so  sweetly  and  innocently, 
and  took  my  hand  so  confidingly,  that  we  put  ourselves  under 
her  protection  to  keep  off  the  rest.  The  tomb  is  in  a  kind  of 
grotto,  among  the  vines  up  the  side  of  the  hill,  in  a  spot  com- 
manding a  view  of  the  Bay  of  Naples  and  the  prospect  of  the 


Chap.  XXVIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  177 

country  the  poet  loved  so  well.  A  small  monument  inscribed 
with  his  name  has  been  erected  by  a  modern  French  traveler. 

Passing  below  the  Tomb  of  Virgil,  and  penetrating  the  mount- 
ain from  one  side  to  the  other,  like  a  railroad  tunnel,  is  the 
Grotto  of  Posilippo,  a  third  of  a  mile  in  length,  wide  enough  for 
the  passage  of  two  carnages,  and  constructed,  in  ancient  times, 
as  a  thoroughfare  between  Naples  and  Cumae.  Having  taken 
my  passage  one  morning,  in  one  of  the  conveyances  that  hourly 
run  from  Naples  toward  Baiae,  I  was  carried,  with  a  throng  of 
foot-passengers  and  caniages,  beneath  the  cool  grotto  to  the 
bright  plain  on  the  other  side.  We  coursed  along  the  beautiful 
shore  beyond  till  we  halted  at  the  town  of  Pozzuoli,  the  ancient 
Puteoli,  at  which  St.  Paul  landed.  Selecting  a  guide  among 
the  ferocious  crowd,  I  was  soon  dreaming  over  the  rings  for  the 
victims  and  receptacles  for  the  blood,  amid  the  crumbling  pil- 
lars and  vaults  of  the  Temple  of  Serapis.  But  the  unsenti- 
mental guide  reminded  me  that  we  had  a  full  day's  work,  and 
we  walked  round  the  shore  toward  Baiae,  and  gazed  awhile 
upon  the  ruins  of  the  Villa  of  Cicero.  Presently  we  passed  by 
the  Lake  of  Lucrin,  famous  for  its  oysters  in  the  times  of  the 
luxurious  Romans,  and  approached  Lake  Avernus.  But  earth- 
quakes and  cultivation  have  sadly  deranged  the  geography  of 
old  mythology.  The  entrance  to  Tartarus  is  now  a  very  earth- 
ly-looking piece  of  water,  birds  fly  over  it  with  impunity,  and 
the  dark  Cimmerian  forests  have  been  absorbed. 

We  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave  of  the  Cumaean  sibyl, 
and,  at  a  signal  from  the  guide,  instead  of  the  wild  lady  that  eo 
startled  apneas,  a  commonplace,  ragged  Neaj)olitan  received  us, 
and,  by  the  aid  of  a  smoking  pine  fagot,  and  mounting  on  the 
back  of  the  barefooted  conductor  to  be  carried  throui^h  long 
winding  passages  partly  lilled  with  water,  I  was  enabled,  at 
last,  to  rest  on  the  sibyl's  rocky  bed,  and  get  as  far  as  practica- 
ble toward  the  ancient  realms  of  darkness.  We  emerged  not 
much  wiser,  and,  returning  to  the  seaside,  took  a  steaming  at 


178  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

the  natural  volcanic  vapor-batbs  of  Nero,  on  the  side  of  the  hill, 
a  mile  distant,  and  then  cooled  ourselves  in  the  rotunda  of  the 
Temple  of  Mercury  and  amid  the  ruins  of  the  temples  of  Venus 
and  Diana,  along  the  shore.  Every  eminence  and  promontory 
along  this  beautifully-indented  coast  is  covered  with  fragments 
of  villas  and  temples.  We  lunched  very  complacently  among 
some  ancient  remains;  the  guide  grew  gracious,  and  talked  in- 
cessantly of  Lady  Hamilton,  in  whose  household  he  had  been 
in  childhood.  Presently  we  started  over  the  hill  for  the  Ely- 
sium. The  view  from  the  top  was  like  that  of  a  fairy  land.  We 
were  in  the  midst  of  classic  gi'ound.  Hard  by  these  villas  had 
lived  Marius,  Caesar,  and  Lucullus,  and  at  the  spot  where  stood 
the  residence  of  Hortensius,  Nero  had  murdered  his  mother. 
Just  to  the  southward  was  the  promontory  and  port  of  Miseni- 
um,  the  ancient  station  of  the  Roman  fleet.  We  wandered 
awhile  amid  the  wonderfully-preserved  galleries  and  pillars  of 
the  Piscina,  a  subterranean  water-reservoir  connected  with  the 
Roman  arsenal,  and  the  more  horrid  deep  dungeons  of  the  pris- 
on of  a  hundred  chambers,  where,  to  extort  plunder,  the  Roman 
tyrants  confined  their  victims.  The  Stygian  Lake  and  the  Ely- 
sium I  was  so  curious  to  see,  consisted  of  a  sluggish  pond,  be- 
yond which  were  certainly  some  monotonous-looking  fields  that 
had  probably  been  badly  ploughed  that  year,  and  the  only  rep- 
resentative of  Charon,  that  we  saw  in  our  travels,  was  the  ragged 
and  loquacious  steersman,  who,  for  a  very  worldly  considera- 
tion, took  us  homeward  across  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Baiae  to 
Pozzuoli.  I  reached  Naples  after  dark,  feeling  much  less  ro- 
mantic than  in  the  morning. 

If  one's  anticipations  fail  with  some  things  in  this  region, 
I  fancy  they  are  frequently  exceeded  in  others.  I  was  hard- 
ly prepared  to  expect  so  much  of  beauty  and  interest  as  I 
found  in  the  disinterred  treasures  in  the  museum  at  Naples, 
and  the  excavations  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum.  How  ex- 
quisitely executed  were  those  cameos  and  necklaces-!      How 


Chap.  XXVIIL]  LOITERIXGS  IN  EUROPE.  179 

natural  and  graceful  were  the  statues  of  the  Balbi  and  Aristi- 
des  !  Then  you  were  introduced  to  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of 
ancient  common  life.  Commodious  cooking  utensils  and  lamps 
elegantly  molded,  like  fruit  hanging  upon  trees,  were  there. 
In  excellent  presei-vation,  you  saw  the  very  delicacies  of  the 
table  in  the  bread  stamped  with  the  maker's  name,  and  the  re- 
mains of  eggs,  fish,  honeycomb,  and  fruits.  As  you  gazed  upon 
the  pots  of  rouge,  silver  mirrors,  ivory  pins  and  combs,  you  fan- 
cied you  could  almost  furnish  a  fashionable  Roman  lady's  dress- 
in  o^-room.  But  the  most  vivid  sensations  were  experienced  in 
treading  the  streets  of  these  cities  of  the  dead.  Herculaneum,  on 
the  west  of  Vesuvius,  toward  Naples,  was  buried  beneath  a 
river  of  liquid  lava  hardened.  The  portions  now  exposed  con- 
sist of  a  theatre  and  a  few  vaulted  passages,  inspected  with  can- 
dles, and  lying  at  some  depth  beneath  the  ground,  upon  which 
stand  the  houses  of  Resina.  One  of  the  wonders  about  Naples  I 
visited  last  was  Pompeii.  It  lies  on  the  south  side  of  Vesuvius, 
only  buried  beneath  cinders  and  ashes.  It  has  been  excavated 
to  the  extent  of  several  acres,  and  its  lonely  streets  have  been  laid 
open  to  the  light  of  day.  One  can  not  forget  the  sensations  of 
roaming  in  such  a  i3lace.  You  can  hardly  beheve  that  seven- 
teen centuries  have  passed  since  life  was  there.  The  streets 
were  all  paved,  their  names  were  still  legible;  the  quarters 
for  the  soldiers,  the  forum,  the  two  theatres,  and  the  temples  of 
Isis  and  Fortune,  were  all  remarkably  preserved.  Here,  by  the 
an-angement  of  furniture  or  signs,  you  learned  there  lived  an 
apothecary ;  his  neighbor  was  a  wheelwright ;  then,  perhaps, 
came  the  shop  of  a  wine-merchant,  a  pastry-cook,  or  a  sculptor. 
The  houses,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  of  one  story,  contain- 
ing an  open  court,  with  a  well  in  its  centre,  and  the  apartments 
placed  around  this  were  paved  with  mosaic,  and  were  usually 
only  lighted  from  the  doors.  The  public  baths  were  of  marble, 
luxuiiously  ananged,  and,  with  a  little  repaiiing,  and  a  supply 
of  the  needful  element,  they  could  be  fitted  for  present  use. 


180  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIX.' 

But  the  most  touching  sight  was  the  sumptuous  mansion  of 
Arrius  Diomedcs,  with  its  garden,  its  architectural  ornaments, 
and  its  extensive  cellars  filled  with  wine-vessels,  while,  on 
first  opening  them,  in  one  corner  was  a  skeleton,  gi'asping 
in  its  bony  fingers  coins  and  gold  ornaments.  In  this  black 
spot,  in  fancy,  the  whole  drama  of  that  fearful  night  came 
over  you. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Neapolitan    Ethics — Swiss    Soldiers — Gastric    Insurrection — Pisa — Leaning 
Tower — Duomo — Campo  Santo — A  Recitation. 

Doubtless  the  most  valuable  kind  of  knowledge  is  that 
gained  from  actual  experiment.  But  poor  selfish  human  nature, 
like  the  cunning  animal  that  prefeiTed  deputing  the  limb  of  a 
neighbor  to  test  the  sensation  from  fire,  best  enjoys  tricks  played 
upon  others.  Naples  is  rather  notorious  for  the  enterprise  of  a 
certain  class  skillful  in  detecting  money  and  foreign  accent ; 
and  it  might  have  been  from  a  lurking  temptation  to  relish  a 
joke  at  the  expense  of  some  good-natured  member,  that,  when 
our  traveling  company  accidentally  met,  we  were  often  much 
amused  by  tales  of  the  sleight-of-hand  way  in  which  pocket- 
handkerchiefs  and  their  owners  parted  in  a  crowd;  the  ingenious 
modes  in  which  hotel  bills  were  magnified,  or  perchance  the 
guileless  face  with  which  in  the  shops  and  streets  several  times 
the  current  value  of  things  had  been  extracted  as  soothingly  as 
in  surgical  operations  with  ether.  Of  course  as  transient  visitors 
we  saw  not  the  fairest  specimens ;  but  there  seemed  a  prevail- 
ing tendency  to  the  uncharitable  belief  that  the  popular  con- 
science was  considerably  relieved  from  its  arduous  duties.  It 
often  pays   one   in  happiness,  however,   to   be   unsuspicious. 


Chap.  XXIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  181 

There  is  no  prescription  in  traveling  so  valuable  as  unconquer- 
able good-humor.  Some,  of  the  younger  ones  among  us,  to 
borrow  a  beautiful  metaphor,  had  probably  left  home  "  in  ver- 
dure clad."  Such  might  comfort  themselves  that  in  these  tri- 
fling matters  they  were  legitimately  purchasing  wisdom,  and  com- 
pleting their  education  by  "  learning  the  ways  of  the  world." 

As  in  furious  haste,  for  fear  I  should  lose  my  passage,  I  rushed 
toward  a  small  boat  at  the  wharf,  the  last  lesson  in  physics  I  re- 
ceived on  shore  was  a  hint  from  the  officer  stationed  to  prevent 
the  exportation  of  pictures  and  antiquities,  that  a  piece  of  coin 
would  instantly  make  my  baggage  transparent.  Soon  after  I 
was  standing  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  as  it  rapidly  made 
for  the  open  sea,  and  taking  a  last  look  at  the  Castle  of  St. 
Elmo,  Mount  Vesuvius,  the  promontories  of  JNlisenium  and 
Salerno,  the  islands  of  Capri  and  Ischia,  and  the  detail  of  the 
gorgeous  panorama  of  the  Bay  of  Naples.  Besides  the  usual 
complement  of  passengers  crowding  the  forward  deck,  was  a 
detachment  of  Swiss  soldiers  in  the  service  of  the  King  of 
Naples,  who  were  returning  on  leave  of  absence  for  a  few 
weeks  to  their  native  mountains.  These  hardy  mercenaries,  re- 
ceiving much  more  pay  and  indulgence  than  the  native  soldiers, 
like  the  Swiss  guard  in  France  before  the  Revolution,  are 
maintained,  to  the  number  of  five  or  six  thousand,  as  household 
troops,  to  keep  in  check  the  loving  subjects  of  his  Neapolitan 
majesty.  For  more  than  thiee  hundred  years  the  Swiss  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  hiring  out  as  soldiers,  and  within  the  pres- 
ent century  they  have  had  regiments  in  the  service  of  four  or 
five  nations  ;  but  at  present  the  pope  and  the  King  of  Naples 
only  are  allowed  by  treaty  to  enlist  soldiers  in  a  few  of  the  can- 
tons. Though  thus  selling  their  blood  on  a  foreign  soil,  they 
still  retain  their  national  character  for  bravery. 

Our  company  seemed  joyous  as  unprisoncd  birds  at  the 
thoughts  of  revisiting  their  mountain  homes.  They  supplied 
themselves  from  large  flasks  of  the  wine  of  the  country,  and  at 


182  LOTTERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

length  some  began  to  be  amiable  toward  the  bulwarks,  or  what- 
ever was  next  them,  and  others  gathered  in  thi'ees  and  fours, 
and  sustained  their  parts  in  some  sweet  German  airs.  There 
was  an  appeal  to  the  heart  in  some  of  the  more  innocent  dem- 
onstrations of  gladness  from  these  returning  exiles  that  none 
present  seemed  willing  to  disturb.  At  last  sleep  came  and 
quieted  every  thing  but  the  engine  and  the  sea.  During  the 
night  we  passed  the  Gulf  of  Gaeta  and  the  coast  to  the  north- 
ward, and  the  next  day  we  touched  at  Civita  Vecchia.  The 
steamer  was  a  very  fine  one,  belonging  to  an  early  established 
Neapolitan  company,  and  was  one  of  a  number  that  had  been 
built  and  fitted  out  for  their  service  in  England,  and  furnished 
with  English  engineers.  Near  the  island  of  Elba,  the  second 
night  we  encountered  a  gale,  and  for  a  little  I  was  more  sub- 
missive to  seasickness  than  ever  I  had  been  on  the  Atlantic. 

Since  the  days  of  Ulysses  and  St.  Paul  the  Mediterranean  has 
been  noted  as  a  troublesome  place  in  a  storm.  Next  morning  a 
more  sad-looking  group  could  scarcely  be  pictured  than  our 
worthy  company.  If  any  affrighted,  clinging  creatures  strove 
for  a  gasp  of  fresh  air,  the  merciless  waves  respected  not  even 
the  ladies'  dresses.  We  were  prostrated  by  a  general  gastric 
insurrection.  Some  sought  solitude  in  the  covered  carriages  on 
the  deck,  others  instituted  a  sympathizing  society  by  huddling 
together  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  cabin,  and  holding  on  to  each 
others'  chairs.  Just  at  that  sorrowful  moment,  I  fancy,  with  a 
little  assistance  from  art,  our  faces  might  have  furnished  a  print- 
shop  with  variously  expressive  caricatures  of  misery.  But  if 
any  itinerant  Hogarth  or  Cruikshank  was  present  he  was  prob- 
ably disabled.  The  steward,  amiable  man,  was  continually  fly- 
ing from  one  patient  to  another,  trying  to  alleviate  the  general 
distress,  by  dispensing  gruel,  cordial,  and  soda-water.  As  we 
neared  the  port  of  Leghorn  there  began  to  be  more  serious  ap- 
prehensions. The  sea  was  rolling  fearfully  high,  threatening  to 
dash  the  ships  anchored  outside,  upon  a  lee  shore,  and  the  port 


Chap.  XXIX]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  183 

was  difficult  to  enter.  "  But  the  steamer,  at  some  peril,  made  her 
way  where  no  sailing  vessel  could  have  ventured,  and  we  at 
last  landed,  sincerely  thankful  for  our  deliverance. 

Not  caring  to  remain  long  in  a  place  before  visited,  I  went  in 
the  afternoon  by  railroad  through  a  level,  well-cultivated  country 
eastward  to  Pisa.  Making  my  way  through  a  crowd  of  most 
industrious  applicants  for  alms,  I  was  at  last  quietly  domiciled  at 
the  hotel.  The  days  that  followed  were  unusually  tranquil  and 
happy.  When  all  around  is  eloquent  of  the  past,  temporary 
isolation  is  often  a  luxury.  Sheltered  by  the  romantic  hills  to- 
ward Lucca  from  chilling  winds,  and  sweetly  nestled  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Arno,  Pisa  enjoys  an  exceedingly  mild  climate, 
that  invites  many  northern  consumptives,  and  makes  its  winter 
seem  like  our  own  spring.  I  could  not  resist  the  balmy  influ- 
ence without  that  tempted  me  to  dreamy  walks  about  the  out- 
skirts and  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 

The  surrounding  evidences  of  superior  intelligence,  comfort, 
and  industry,  which  one  sees  every  where  in  Tuscany,  take 
away  much  of  that  alloy  of  saxlness  which  one  feels  in  regard- 
ing the  monuments  of  the  past  in  other  parts  of  Italy.  In  Pisa, 
too,  the  four  great  attractions  to  the  curious  are  all  grouped 
closely  together  in  a  retired  spot,  congenial  to  undisturbed  re- 
flection. This  with  every  visitor  must  be  a  favorite  walk.  The 
famous  leaning  tower  is  but  the  campanile,  or  bell-tower,  to  its 
near  neighbor  the  cathedral.  Perhaps,  from  the  imposing  ob- 
jects around,  it  did  not  at  first  produce  that  impression,  as  to 
size  and  effect,  that  I  anticipated.  But  my  respect  was  won- 
derfully increased  as  I  walked  around  to  its  threatening  side, 
and  beheld  an  immense  round  tower,  nearly  a  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  high,  with  the  top  leaning  over  more  than  a  dozen 
feet,  and  the  whole  seeming  about  to  tumble  upon  me ;  and  the 
feeling  was  increased,  as,  after  climbing  up  its  intermhiablo 
steps,  and  peeping  out  successively  from  its  eight  stories  of 
columns,  I  at  last  reached  the  belfry,  and  tripped  lightly  and 


184  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

cast  a  dizzy  glance  over  the  battlements  on  the  frail  side.  The 
view  of  the  hills  to  the  northeast,  covered  with  white  villas,  the 
Arno  winding  through  a  fruitful  plain  to  its  mouth,  and  the 
blue  Mediterranean  but  five  or  six  miles  to  the  westward,  and 
the  glimpse  of  some  of  its  islands  in  the  distance  in  fine  weather 
are  magnificent.  The  architect,  however,  has  skillfully  con- 
trived that  the  centre  of  gravity  should  just  fall  within  the  line 
of  the  base  below,  and  that  the  much  greater  weight  of  materi- 
als in  the  opposite  direction  should  balance  the  tendency  toward 
the  leaning  side.  It  is  so  firm,  that  some  time  since,  it  is  said 
to  have  withstood  a  slight  shock  of  an  earthquake  that  damaged 
some  of  the  houses  in  Pisa.  The  Duomo  is  of  marble,  of  dif- 
ferent colors,  and  is  a  wonderful  edifice  for  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury. Having  grown  powerful  by  its  commerce,  and  obtained 
a  great  victory  over  the  Saracens  in  Sicily,  the  republic  of  Pisa, 
in  the  spirit  of  the  times,  consecrated  the  spoils  to  the  erection 
of  this  cathedral. 

Hard  by  is  a  burial-place  filled  with  monuments,  fresco 
paintings,  and  interesting  antiquities,  occupying  the  celebrated 
Campo  Santo,  or  holy  ground.  It  was  founded  by  an  arch- 
bishop, driven  from  Palestine  by  Saladin  in  the  twelfth  century, 
during  the  height  of  the  enthusiasm  for  relics,  who  made  what 
modern  irreverent  people  would  call  a  large  speculation,  by 
arriving  safely  with  fifty-three  vessels,  said  to  be  laden  with 
the  earth  from  Mount  Calvary,  and  depositing  his  treasure 
here.  There  is  generally  considerable  difference  in  the  capa- 
bilities of  the  various  conductors  in  magnifying  the  remarkable 
things  to  which  they  happen  to  be  attached.  The  keeper  of 
the  Baptistry  was  particularly  fluent.  Fancy  the  dome  of  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome  cut  off  at  the  base,  lifted  and  set  upon  the 
gi'ound,  pierced  for  an  entrance,  and  containing  inside  a  fine 
altar,  a  baptismal  font,  and  many  beautiful  things,  and  let  every 
whisper  reverberate  about  you  as  if  the  place  were  enchanted, 
and  you  have  an  image  of  the  fourth  wonder  of  Pisa. 


Chap.  XXIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  185 

During  the  repeated  attempts  of  the  German  emperors  to  con- 
quer Italy  at  the  era  of  the  Itahan  republics,  it  will  be  recollect- 
ed that  all  the  gi-eat  families  and  cities  were  divided  between 
two  bitterly  hostile  factions — the  Ghibelines,  or  high  Tories 
of  those  times,  siding  with  the  emperor ;  and  the  Guelphs,  or 
Liberals,  who  fought  for  Italian  independence,  and  assisted  the 
popes,  who,  in  the  early  part  of  the  struggle,  from  policy  were 
with  the  patriotic  party.  Pisa  was  commonly  as  fierce  for  the 
Ghibelines,  as  her  rival,  Florence,  was  for  the  Guelphs.  There 
is  a  famous  tragedy  connected  with  one  of  the  popular  commo- 
tions recorded  in  her  history  which  has  been  immortalized  hi  the 
"  Inferno,"  and  which  is  probably  suggested  to  every  visitor. 

A  powerful  Ghibeline  chief.  Count  Ugolino,  having  been  ex- 
pelled from  the  dictatorship,  was  placed  for  safe  keeping,  with 
his  children,  under  the  care  of  his  former  associate,  an  arch- 
bishop. But  the  prelate  forgot  the  mercy  of  religion,  and  at 
length  secretly  threw  the  key  of  the  prison  into  the  Arno,  and 
cruelly  starved  to  death  that  father  and  his  innocent  children. 
The  poet,  it  is  well  known,  in  his  account  of  the  characters 
he  met  in  his  journey  to  the  bottomless  pit,  did  not  spare  even 
the  priests,  and  he  puts  a  fearful  tale  into  the  mouth  of  the  tor- 
tured ghost  of  Ugolino. 

I  shall  never  forget  a  scene  with  an  Italian  friend  with  whom 
I  happened  to  be  on  terms  of  pleasant  intimacy.  The  Italians, 
it  is  well  known,  have  more  expression  efface  and  gesticulation 
in  speaking  than  even  the  French.  Our  friend  had  a  fine  bass 
voice,  and  had  been  educated  for  the  bar.  I  casually  asked  him 
very  quietly  one  evening,  who  was  the  first  of  the  Italian  poets? 
"  Why,  Dante,  of  course,"  ho  replied.  Rising  suddenly  from  his 
seat,  and  stretching  himself  to  his  full  height,  he  muttered  impa- 
tiently, as  if  the  honor  of  his  country  was  impeached,  "  Do  you 
think  there  is  any  passage  in  Homer  to  compare  with  thiSl"  and 
as  he  stood  he  began  repeating  and  acting  the  speech  and  suffer- 
ings of  Ugolino.     After  finishing  the  hon'ible  preface,  and  the 


186  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

dream  of  the  ravenous  wolves,  he  warmed  with  the  subject  as  he 
repeated  the  passage,  which,  scarcely  in  its  native  fullness  or 
sonorous  versification,  has  been  thus  rendered  in  English : 

"  Uttering  not  a  word, 
I  looked  upon  the  visage  of  my  sons. 
I  wept  not :     So  all  stone  I  felt  within. 
They  wept :  and  one,  my  little  Anselm.  cried, 
'  Thou  lookest  so  !     Father,  what  ails  thee  ?'     Yet 
I  shed  no  tear,  nor  answered  all  that  day, 
Nor  the  next  night,  until  another  sun 
Came  out  upon  the  world.     When  a  faint  beam 
Had  to  our  doleful  prison  made  its  way. 
And  in  four  countenances  I  descried 
The  image  of  my  own,  on  either  hand 
Through  agony  I  bit ;  and  they  who  thought 
I  did  it  through  desire  of  feeding,  rose 
O'  the  sudden,  and  cried,  '  Father,  we  should  grieve 

Far  less,  if  thou  wouldst  eat  of  us.' 

****** 

"  There  he  died ;  and  e'en 
Plainly  as  thou  seest  me,  saw  I  the  three 
Fall  one  by  one  'twixt  the  fifth  day  and  sixth : 
Whence  I  betook  me,  now  grown  blind,  to  grope 
«  Over  them  all,  and  for  three  days  aloud 

Called  on  them  who  were  dead.     Thus  fasting  got 
The  masteiy  of  grief." 

Thus  having  spoke, 
Once  more  upon  the  wretched  skull  his  teeth 
He  fastened,  like  a  mastiff's,  'gainst  the  bone 
Firm  and  unyielding. 

It  was  dim  twilight,  we  were  alone,  and  the  effect  was  really 
startling.  Near  the  close  the  face  of  my  tall  friend  grew  flushed 
and  wild,  his  frame  seemed  convulsed  with  emotion ;  and  the 
grinding  of  his  teeth,  as  he  repeated  the  last  lines,  and  described 
the  tenible  retribution  upon  the  head  of  the  tormented  priest, 
seemed  almost  fiendish. 


Chap.  XXX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  187 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Italian  Raikoads — Vetturiui — "  Effort  in  Public" — Tuscan  People — Florence 
— Power's  Greek  Slave — p4)iscopalian  Service. 

Ox\E  day  we  whirled  away  from  Pisa  and  its  leaning  tower, 
with  a  force  that  would  have  astonished  Galileo  and  the  sages 
of  ancient  science.  Surely  there  is  no  telling  where  the  ag- 
gressions of  the  nineteenth  century  will  end.  The  example  of 
constructing  railroads,  so  creditably  commenced  by  Tuscany,  is 
now  being  imitated  by  almost  every  state  in  Italy.  Within  a 
year  you  may  probably  reach  Florence  from  the  sea,  and  in  a 
few  years  you  may  drive  to  St,  Peter's  with  harnessed  steam. 
No  pope  or  earthly  potentate  can  long  resist  the  subtile  ele- 
ment. 

Yet  exulting  thoughts  like  these,  and  certain  commonplace 
elated  ideas,  about  the  march  of  steam  and  the  march  of  intel- 
lect, were  checked  by  the  consciousness  that  much  of  the 
scenery  of  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Arao  was  so  quickly  to 
vanish. 

This  bird-like  passage  ended,  we  suddenly  produced  quite  a 
sensation  among  the  hangers-on  at  the  little  town  of  Ponte- 
dera.  In  the  exciting  scramble,  he  was  a  happy  man  who  had 
what,  I  believe,  some  intellectual  people  call  "  adhesiveness'* 
enough  to  stick  to  his  luckless  baggage. 

There  is  a  class  of  men  all  over  Italy  termed  vetturini,  vari- 
able in  character,  who  make  a  business  of  cairying  passengers 
to  and  fro  in  tolerably  comfortable  conveyances,  as  may  be 
agreed  by  private  written  contract,  often  with  ingenious  verbal 
additions  at  the  last  stage.  Thirty  or  forty  miles  a-day  are 
usually  accomplished ;  the  horses  are  not  changed,  and  all 
rest  at  night.     The  driver  commonly  agrees,  for  a  sum  stipu- 


188  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXX. 

lated,  to  furnish  meals  and  lodging  for  the  party  at  the  inns  and 
stopjiing-places  along  the  road.  Respecting  these,  luxurious 
livers  should  not  form  too  brilliant  expectations.  Yet  such  pri- 
vate vehicles  can  often  be  hired  to  go  to  the  small  towns,  and 
places  inaccessible  by  the  public  diligences ;  and  even  on  the 
main  routes  the  privileges  of  more  leisurely  observing  scenery 
and  domestic  life,  and  of  resting  regularly  at  night,  are  weighty 
considerations  with  many  not  pressed  for  time.  A  party  of 
friends,  some  of  whom  may  know  enough  of  the  language  to 
seek  redress  in  case  of  any  great  excess  of  imposition,  beyond 
the  amount  which  the  traveler  for  the  sake  of  his  own  enjoy- 
ment soon  learns  to  endure  as  tranquilly  as  possible,  may  in 
this  way  sometimes  get  on  very  pleasantly.  But  it  is  much 
more  precarious  for  one  alone. 

As  soon  as  the  train  had  stopped  at  Pontedera,  I  had,  as  I 
thought,  engaged  my  passage  in  the  regular  diligence  for 
Florence,  from  one  who  represented  himself  as  an  agent.  But 
when  the  diligence  came  to  start,  my  name  was  not  down,  the 
places  were  all  taken,  and  my  friend,  who  was  the  ally  of  an  en- 
terprising vetturino  had  deceived  me.  Still  under  the  pleasant 
illusion  that  an  extra  was  waiting,  I  was  meekly  led  to  one 
of  the  above-mentioned  conveyances.  When  I  discovered  my 
eiTor,  it  was  too  late  to  remonstrate,  and  I  submitted  with  a 
sort  of  Turkish  stoicism.  Our  smooth-tongued  driver  had  prom- 
ised to  get  to  Florence  early  in  the  evening,  and  it  really  mat- 
tered little  how  we  were  carried  there.  But  after  trying  to  in- 
crease the  original  terms,  he  collected  a  crowd  around  us  in  the 
street  by  beating  up  for  more  passengers,  and  got  into  a  furious 
altercation  on  the  highest  key  with  a  party  whom  he  deemed 
not  liberal  enough.  The  most  extravagant  gesticulations  and 
expressions  were  freely  exchanged  ;  and  but  for  the  affliction  to 
one's  ears,  the  scene  was  altogether  quite  amusing.  We  had 
waited  a  long  time  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  without  any  signs 
of  moving,  and  the  storm  raged  as  violently  as  ever.     Gentle  re- 


Chap.  XXX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  189 

monstrances  were  tried  in  vain.  At  last,  I  bethought  myself  of 
attempting  a  little  mock  tragedy — imitated,  as  well  as  I  could,  a 
towering  passion — fiercely  produced  paper  and  pencil — demand- 
ed the  full  name  of  the  driver — and,  with  a  face  that  I  could 
scarcely  keep  in  frowning  shape  for  a  struggling  inside  laugh, 
shouted  at  the  top  of  my  voice  the  respected  name  of  the  police. 
It  was  rather  a  bold  experiment,  but  it  succeeded  admirably.  In 
five  minutes  there  was  a  perfect  calm,  and  we  were  on  the  road 
to  Florence.  My  companions  happened  to  be  all  Italians ;  and 
perhaps  from  the  above  incident,  the  gratitude  of  some,  their 
cuiiosity,  or  their  politeness,  to  the  only  one  present  who  had 
the  natural  right  to  put  on  "  foreign  airs,"  I  was  treated  the 
rest  of  the  way,  in  the  human  sense,  as  a  sort  of  pet  lion. 

The  Tuscans  seem  by  far  the  best  governed,  most  intelligent, 
and  happy  people  in  Italy.  There  is  an  appearance  of  clean- 
liness, comfort,  and  prosperity  generally  visible,  which  contrasts 
strongly  with  the  condition  of  some  parts  of  the  Roman  and 
Neapolitan  states.  Tuscany,  it  will  be  remembered,  includes 
territories  occupied,  during  the  middle  ages,  by  the  republics  of 
Florence,  Pisa,  Lucca,  and  Sienna,  some  of  which  were  then 
taking  the  lead  in  civilization  :  and  it  seems  as  if,  even  to  this 
day,  their  influence  may  be  traced  upon  the  race.  Agriculture 
is  made  very  productive  ;  and  that  part  of  the  valley  of  the 
Arno  through  which  we  passed  seemed  really  like  a  fruitful 
garden,  with  scarcely  a  spot  untilled.  What  is  termed  the 
metayer^  or  share  system  of  farming,  as  in  portions  of  the  Papal 
States,  has  prevailed  from  time  immemorial.  The  proprietor  of 
the  soil  furnishes  all  the  capital  and  half  the  seed,  and  the  ten- 
ant the  labor  and  utensils,  and  the  produce  is  divided  equally 
between  them.  The  olive,  the  mulberry,  and  the  vine  grow 
almost  eveiy  where,  and  are  indications  of  the  leading  staple 
articles. 

In  the  edge  of  the  evening  we  supped  at  the  town  of  Empoli. 
Here,  in  the  middle  of  the   thirteenth  century,  was  held  the 


190  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXX. 

council,  celebrated  in  history  and  poetry,  in  which  the  Ghibel- 
ines  of  Pisa  and  Sienna,  after  the  defeat  of  the  Guelphs  at  the 
battle  of  Arbia,  proposed  to  utterly  destroy  the  stronghold  of 
the  latter  by  razing  Florence  to  the  ground  ;  and  she  was  only 
saved  by  the  powerful  eloquence  and  patriotism  of  Farinata, 
one  of  her  banished  citizens,  and  the  general  who  had  planned 
the  victory. 

At  a  late  hour  we  arrived  at  the  barriers,  and  plodded 
slowly  through  the  silent  streets  of  Florence. 

Having  been  accidentally  deprived  of  regular  rest  for  a  night 
or  two  previous,  it  was  really  a  luxury  to  be  introduced  to  the 
clean,  comfortable  quarters  one  finds  at  Florence  ;  and  the  wel- 
come apparition  of  white  sheets  produced  a  sensation  like  that 
of  the  nodding  hero,  who  muttered 

"  Bless'd  be  the  man  that  first  invented  sleep." 

Next  morning  I  had  a  pleasant  ramble.  In  the  thickest  part 
of  the  city  you  are  hardly  conscious  why  it  is  called  "  The 
Beautiful."  The  streets  are  narrow;  the  Arno,  as  regularly  as  a 
canal,  runs  straight  through  the  town  ;  and  the  grand  old  palaces, 
at  a  near  view,  frown  gloomily  upon  you,  with  massive  walls  of 
great  rough  stone  in  the  Tuscan  style,  large  iron  rings  for  the 
standards  of  their  former  owners,  and  close-barred  windows 
like  prisons,  as  if  built  for  defense  against  the  street  assaults 
of  rival  factions  in  olden  time. 

But  when  you  escape  to  the  garden  of  the  Grand  Duke,  or 
some  open  elevated  space  in  the  outskirts,  a  lovelier  vision 
breaks  upon  you.  The  sky  of  Italy  is  above,  and  the  compact 
city,  with  its  churches,  houses,  fortresses,  and  palaces,  lies  bask- 
ing beneath,  in  a  sweet  valley  cleft  by  a  silver  stream;  tower, 
roof,  and  bulwark,  in  the  enchantment  of  sunshine,  mingle  their 
lights  and  shadows,  while  around  and  beyond  the  walls  glow 
pleasant  green  hills. 

Happening  to  step  into  a  neighboring  cafe  to  read  the  jour- 


Chap.  XXX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  191 

nals,  I  found  myself  beside  a  gentlemanly  retiring  countryman. 
An  accidental  conversation  afterward  led  to  the  discovery  that 
I  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  celebrated  American  sculp- 
tor, whose  chisel  has  produced  the  **  Greek  Slave."  Upon  vis- 
iting his  studio,  the  marble  copy  seemed  more  beautiful  than 
from  any  of  the  current  glowing  descriptions  I  had  ever  dreamed. 
She  stands  as  a  lovely,  bashful  creature  of  seventeen,  chained  to 
a  stake,  and  exhibited  in  a  slave-market  for  sale.  Her  form  is 
symmetry  itself.  Her  exquisite  face  is  averted,  as  if  blushing 
at  the  unkind  gaze  of  the  beholder;  and  there  is  depicted  in 
her  innocent,  intelligent  features  an  unutterable  sadness  that  is 
deeply  touching. 

There  are  several  American  artists  who  professionally,  or 
as  students,  have  been  residents  at  Florence  for  some  years. 
Among  others,  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  a  fellow-towns- 
man, an  enthusiastic  youthful  sculptor,  the  brother  of  a  prom- 
ising young  painter  who  had  preceded  him,  and  who  died  much 
lamented  a  few  years  since. 

At  the  invitation  of  my  friend  I  went  one  sabbath  to  the  En- 
glish Episcopalian  Chapel.  It  is  a  fine,  commodious  edifice, 
built  for  the  purpose,  by  permission  of  the  liberal  Grand  Duke. 
In  several  of  the  Italian  cities  the  authorities  have  found  the 
visits  of  northern  strangers  so  desirable  in  a  pecuniary  point  of 
view,  that  they  have  encouraged  them  latterly  by  granting  sim- 
ilar privileges.  Florence,  especially,  on  account  of  its  many 
attractions,  has  become  the  permanent  residence,  or  annual 
resort,  of  some  thousands  of  English  and  many  Americans ; 
the  cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  is  steadily  advancing, 
and  there  are  many  reasons  for  believing,  that  upon  applica- 
tion, any  Protestant  Church,  sufficiently  represented  there,  may, 
very  shortly,  be  thus  allowed  the  free  public  exercise  of  its 
faith.  The  church  was  quite  thronged.  Differences  of  evan- 
gelical belief  seem  scarcely  visible  so  far  from  home ;  and, 
doubtless,  some  of  other  Christian  flocks  gladly  mingled  there. 


192  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

The  sermon  was  eloquent  and  faithful.  It  seemed  a  strange 
coincidence  to  hear  such  j^iimitive  religious  truths,  several  cen- 
turies after,  in  the  very  place  where  the  martyr  Savonarola  had 
sealed  them  with  his  blood,  and,  as  if  appealing  from  cruel 
earth  to  Heaven,  in  reply  to  the  anathema  of  one  of  his  tor- 
mentors, had  exclaimed,  "  Thou  canst  not  separate  me  from  the 
Church  triumphant!" 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Attack  of  Enthusiasm — Paintings — Pitti    Palace — Memorials  of  Galileo — 
Adieu  to  Florence. 

One  goes  to  Rome,  as  the  world  knows,  to  see  the  pope,  the 
Coliseum,  St.  Peter's,  and  a  very  full  assortment  of  other  cuii- 
osities ;  but  the  sights  of  Florence  are  nearly  confined  to  pic- 
tures and  statues ;  and  of  these  it  has  treasures  enough  almost 
to  turn  a  weak  head.  It  is  sometimes  really  amusing,  after  they 
are  passed,  to  think  how  much  our  fancies  and  impulses  are 
the  creatures  of  accidental  associations.  This  is  especially  the 
case  in  traveling.  Like  the  chameleon,  the  hue  of  one's  thoughts 
changes  with  each  succeeding  object.  You  get  heroic  upon 
the  ocean  wave  or  the  mountain  top,  pastoral  amid  the  bright 
plains  and  running  streams,  and  nanative  at  the  sight  of  old 
palaces  and  battle-fields  ;  and  after  sufficient  exposure  in  picture 
galleries  and  the  like,  mildly  or  gravely  according  to  the  consti- 
tution, you  are  almost  sure  to  catch  the  real  mania  after  ideal 
beauty.  The  susceptible  may  expect  it  at  the  proper  time  and 
place,  as  certainly  as  they  would  the  ague  or  the  Campagna 
fever.  It  may  commence  at  the  North  in  the  Louvre,  or  in  the 
Vatican  or  the  Capitol  at  Rome,  but  at  Florence  they  will  find 
themselves,  as  a  patient  once  said,  *'  rapidly  getting  no  better." 


Chap.  XXXI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  193 

I  confess,  with  due  humility,  I  was  rather  astonished  at  my 
own  fit  of  enthusiasm.  It  was  quite  unreasonable.  I  felt  a  con- 
scious innocence  of  any  sublime  attainments  in  the  fine  arts. 
To  borrow  the  words  of  an  honest  Quaker,  they  were  '*  not  in 
my  line."  Yet  even  a  child  may  have  an  instinctive  sense  of 
the  beautiful  or  striking,  and  can  often,  it  scarcely  knows  why, 
select  the  most  excellent  statue  or  painting  in  a  group.  Some 
of  them,  indeed,  are  so  wonderfully  natural,  that  it  would  betake 
itself  to  them  as  spontaneously  as  the  birds  that,  before  they 
knew  better,  flew  to  pick  the  painted  grapes  of  the  wily  Greek, 
or  the  mother  who  strove  to  kiss  a  sweet  child  on  the  walls  of 
the  Pitti  Palace.  I  fancy  that  books,  accomplished  compan- 
ions, and  observation  but  give  us  the  reasons  of  such  preferences. 

Perhaps  some  for  whom  it  may  be  in  store  will  pardon  a 
little  history,  or  defense,  if  you  please,  of  the  kind  of  pleasant 
infatuation  to  which  we  have  above  alluded.  Like  the  visitor 
himself,  it  is  a  thing  of  gradual  growth.  In  a  young  country 
like  our  own,  it  is  impossible  that  there  should  be  large  col- 
lections of  the  works  of  the  old  masters,  many  of  which  can 
now  be  scarcely  purchased  for  money,  and  they  possess  at  first 
the  charm  of  novelty.  You  are  naturally  curious  to  see  things 
of  which  you  have  heard  so  much,  and  enjoy  the  whole  intellec- 
tual bill  of  fare  of  the  place.  Certain  forms  and  faces,  as  in  any 
strange  living  crowd,  immediately  please  you  more  than  others. 
These  become  at  length  confinned  favorites.  The  interest 
increases  as  one  migrates  from  one  gallery  to  another.  You 
may  have  begun  with  very  slender  pretensions,  but  frequent 
visits  and  a  little  study  increase  the  pleasure  and  improve  the 
taste.  Step  by  step  you  bring  yourself  to  linger  rapturously 
among  lifeless  images  for  hours.  You  have  your  likes  and 
dislikes,  and,  feeling  a  sort  of  enthusiastic  affection  for  the  works 
of  those  whom  you  have  taken  into  particular  friendship,  you 
soon  learn  without  any  assistance  from  the  catalogue  to  distin- 
guish them  at  first  sight.     Not  only  are  the  peculiarities  of  the 

I 


194  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

Flemish,  Spanish,  or  Italian  schools  apparent,  but  you  are 
delighted  to  find  that  you  can  detect  the  productions  of  any 
great  artist  by  their  family  resemblance. 

Entering,  perhaps,  a  strange  gallery,  your  eye  catches  a 
small  picture  exhibiting  a  grotesque  group  in  a  style  admirably 
natural  and  finished  ;  it  awakens  a  reminiscence,  and  you  in- 
stinctively mutter,  "A  Teniers !"  That  rich-looking  portrait 
of  an  old  man  farther  on,  with  the  colors  exquisitely  blended, 
the  face  all  wrinkled  and  life-like,  and  the  small  allowance  of 
light  beaming  upon  it,  as  it  were,  from  a  corner  above,  is  surely 
by  Rembrandt.  Others  of  lesser  note  are  more  quickly  disposed 
of,  and,  even  at  a  distance,  the  attention  is  arrested  by  a  staring 
Bacchanalian  scene.  There  is  no  mistaking  Rubens.  You 
were  a  little  disappointed  with  him  at  first ;  perhaps  he  some- 
times apparently  laid  on  his  colors  in  such  a  dashing,  careless 
style  that  the  effect  is  almost  tawdry ;  you  wish  his  beauties 
were  not  quite  so  fully  developed  and  coarse  ;  but  still  there  are 
wonderful  grouping  and  action.  You  may  have  not  yet  seen 
the  Descent  from  the  Cross.  Every  body  says  he  was  a  great 
painter,  and  you  begin  to  think  it  may  be  true.  The  Spanish- 
looking  figure  there  in  light  and  shadow,  strongly  contrasted 
with  raven  locks,  projecting  brows,  and  marked  features  full 
of  mind,  bears  the  stamp  of  Murillo. 

South  of  the  Alps,  of  course,  one  finds  Italian  paintings  pre- 
dominate. Now,  you  rejoice  in  the  discovery  of  a  beautiful  Ma- 
donna, with  the  peculiar  sentimental  air  and  glossy  miniature- 
finish  of  Carlo  Dolce  ;  a  good  piece,  with  a  touch  of  sky-blue 
above,  by  Andrea  del  Sarto ;  or  suspicious-looking  fishermen  by 
a  stream,  in  a  wild  rocky  glen,  as  if  from  recollections  of  bandit 
captivity,  by  Salvator  Rosa.  Then  the  attention  is  riveted  upon 
one  of  Guide's  graceful  heads.  That  painted  flesh,  all  blushing 
and  warm  with  life,  can  be  no  other  than  the  matchless  coloring 
of  Titian.  The  scene  is  changed,  and  you  are  looking  upward 
in  the  Sistine  Chapel.    There  are  twelve  years'  worth  of  anatomy 


Chap.  XXXI. ]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  195 

in  those  muscular  figures — and  the  artist  loved  to  show  it — 
and  yet  who  but  Michael  Angelo  could  clothe  them  with  such 
grandeur  and  power  1  In  another  place  you  stand  meditating, 
perchance,  upon  a  Holy  Family  that  at  a  glance  is  recognized 
to  be  by  the  prince  of  painters.  Lights  and  shadows  blend  as 
softly  as  in  twilight.  The  happy  group  seemed  dwelling,  as  it 
were,  in  a  heavenly  atmos])here.  ^lother  and  children  have 
angel  faces,  full  of  innocence  and  tenderness.  Exquisite  har- 
mony reigns  throughout,  and  there  is  the  embodiment  of  calm 
beauty,  such  as  none  but  the  pencil  of  Raphael  ever  depicted. 

The  passion  for  such  sights  rapidly  increases  with  the  indul- 
gence. One  could  hardly  have  previously  believed  that  he 
could  be  brought  to  spend  clay  after  day  merely  in  studying 
paintings.  You  come  to  understand  the  secret  charm  that  led, 
perhaps,  some  cherished  companion  of  your  boyhood  to  reject 
a  more  lucrative  profession,  and  grow  solitary  and  haggard  in 
the  confinement  of  a  studio  till  the  pencil  dropped  from  the  thin 
hand  of  the  consumptive.  In  this  practical  age  one  feels  that 
he  ought  not  to  be  intemperate  even  with  such  intellectual  lux- 
uries. Yet  in  traveling  it  is  natural  to  wish  to  sip  at  every 
harailess  flower.  Studying  in  detail  the  effects  of  form,  combi- 
nation, and  color,  amid  statues  and  paintings,  the  eye  becomes 
better  educated.  The  mind  is  stored  with  new  images  that 
may  serve  as  rich  drapciy  to  thoughts  upon  other  subjects. 
Histoiical  recollections  arc  sometimes  brightened.  The  atten- 
tive student  gains,  as  it  were,  a  new  sense,  and  becomes  en- 
dowed with  a  quicker  perception  of  beauty  even  in  the  natural 
world.  As  you  gaze  upon  the  brightest  landscape  of  Claude, 
or  the  loveliest  creation  of  Raphael,  you  may  be  admonished, 
too,  by  the  thought  that  these  which  you  admire  so  much,  are 
but  faintest  images  of  some  features  in  the  works  of  Him  who 
has  decorated  the  sky,  shaped  the  winding  stream,  clothed  the 
trees  in  verdure,  and  molded  the  furms  that  walk  upou  the 
beautiful  eaith. 


196  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

But  we  will  return  from  this  little  excursion  to  the  regular 
thread  of  description.  The  works  of  art  in  Florence,  as  may 
be  familiar  to  many,  are  principally  in  three  collections  :  those 
of  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  and  the  Vecchio  and  Pitti  pal- 
aces, the  latter  of  which  alone  has  been  affirmed  to  be  the  finest, 
as  a  whole,  in  the  world.  In  the  academy  there  are  a  cabinet 
of  very  old  paintings  illustrative  of  the  progress  of  the  art  from 
its  infancy,  and  a  great  many  casts,  remains  of  statues,  and  oth- 
er objects  more  interesting  to  the  artists  who  attend  its  lectures. 
The  Imperial  Gallery  contains  the  famous  Bacchus  and  Faun, 
by  Michael  Angelo,  some  of  the  masterpieces  of  Raphael  and 
Titian,  the  Venus  di  Medici,  the  Wrestlers,  the  wonderfully  ex- 
pressive marble  representing  Niobe  and  her  children,  and  a  be- 
wildering assemblage  of  rare  things  besides. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Arno,  but  communicating  through  a 
secret  gallery  over  a  bridge  lined  with  shops,  is  the  Pitti  Palace, 
so  identified,  with  the  history  of  Florence,  and  now  the  residence 
of  the  Grand  Duke.  But  for  fear  of  fatiguing  the  reader  with 
cold  written  descriptions,  I  leave  him  to  imagine  the  attractions 
of  its  collection  of  pictures,  now  the  richest  in  Florence.  Here, 
too,  are  the  finest  and  most  extensive  set  of  wax  anatomical 
preparations  in  the  world.  But  what  interested  me  most,  on 
account  of  their  rarity,  was  a  suite  of  delicately-colored  wax 
representations  of  the  minute  structure  and  vessels  of  plants 
magnified  many  hundred  times,  and  illustrating  admirably  veg- 
etable physiology.  In  one  part  is  a  sort  of  literary  temple, 
erected  at  gi'eat  expense  by  the  present  Grand  Duke  to  the 
memory  of  Galileo,  and  dedicated  a  few  years  since  by  the 
Italian  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  Though 
closed  for  improvements,  the  obliging  keeper  allowed  me  to 
peep  into  its  mysteries,  look  through  his  telescope,  and  gaze 
upon  the  statue  which  tardy  justice  has  erected  to  the  memory 
of  the  gi'eat  philosopher. 

No  city  in  Italy  seemed  to  me  so  desirable,  on  the  whole,  as 


Chap.  XXXT.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  197 

a  place  of  residence  as  Florence.  There  was  a  general  ap- 
pearance of  superior  order,  cleanliness,  and  comfort.  Applica- 
tions for  alms  in  the  streets  are  exceedingly  rare.  Unlike  that 
of  Rome,  the  climate  will  allow  strangers  to  remain  in  safety 
the  year  round.  The  galleries  and  gardens  of  the  Grand 
Duke,  and  many  other  places  of  recreation,  are  all  free ;  and, 
besides  those  mentioned,  there  are  the  cathedral  with  its  splen- 
did campanile  and  baptistery,  the  Church  of  Santa  Croce,  with 
its  monumental  souvenirs  of  Dante,  Michael  Angelo,  and  other 
gi'eat  men  of  Florence,  the  gorgeous  Chapel  of  the  Medici,  the 
depository  of  the  statues  of  Day  and  Night,  by  the  famous  sculp- 
tor just  mentioned,  and  many  other  interesting  spots  in  which 
to  while  away  the  vacant  hours.  Li\ang  is  cheaper  than  in  any 
other  large  city  in  Europe.  The  language  is  the  most  musical 
and  pure  in  Italy.  Pretty  little  flower-girls,  neatly  clad,  and 
bright  as  Flora  herself,  come  tripping  gracefully  up  to  you  and 
present  you  with  a  smile  and  a  flower,  and  then  fly  coyly  away, 
leaving  it  to  your  generosity  to  ^'emember  them  at  a  future  day, 
or  at  your  departure.  Pleasant  walks  and  drives  lead  along 
the  banks  of  the  Amo  and  to  the  heights  of  Fiesole.  From  no 
city  in  my  route  did  I  part  with  quite  so  much  of  sentimental 
regret  as,  in  the  twilight  of  a  balmy  evening,  from  beautiful 
Florence. 


198  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIl. 


CHAPTER  XXXIL 

Crossing  the    Apennines— Sights    not    Seen — Bologna — San   Petronio — St. 
Dominic — Monuments — University — Lady  Professors — Leaning  Towers. 

Many  a  romance  in  anticipation  has  been  spoiled  by  the 
weather.  Possibly  from  a  streak  of  original  wildness  in  my 
nature,  I  have  always  dearly  loved  mountains.  In  my  gayer 
moods  there  has  been  pleasurable  excitement  in  the  climbing, 
and  attraction  in  their  ever-varying  scenes  ;  and  when  thoughtful 
or  sad,  it  has  seemed  wonderfully  congenial  to  indulge  in  reveries 
at  will,  in  the  mute  companionship  of  solitary  rocks  and  dark  over- 
hanging woods,  or,  free  as  air,  to  I'oam  amid  bald  peaks,  where 
earth  in  silent  grandeur  has  seemed  to  commune  with  the  clouds. 
As  the  prospect  brightened  once  or  twice  at  the  commencement 
of  our  journey,  it  was  very  pleasant  to  dream  of  moonlight  in  the 
Apennines.  How  charming  it  would  be  in  the  splendors  of  an 
Italian  night  to  revel  amid  those  gentler"  children  of  the  Alps  !" 
Our  hopes  were  vain.  The  sky  soon  became  thickly  overcast, 
and  for  hours  together  our  only  amusements  were  listening  to 
the  pelting  rain  and  sleeping.  To  these  was  afterward  added 
conversation.  But  one  may  often  qualify  his  expectation  of 
enjoying  this  rational  pastime  in  traveling  by  the  nautical  phrase, 
"  wind  and  weather  permitting."  The  effect  of  a  noisy  or  chilly 
storm  is  decidedly  unsocial.  There  were  but  three  fellow-pas- 
sengers in  the  interior  of  the  diligence,  including  a  quiet  Italian 
priest,  a  modest  young  girl,  apparently  a  relative  or  friend,  un- 
der his  charge,  and  a  lively  Frenchman.  Our  grave  ecclesias- 
tical friend  dealt  sparingly  in  monosyllables,  and  wrapped  a 
huge  traveling  cloak  more  closely  around  him  at  the  close  of 
each  attack.  But  no  frowns  in  the  dark  from  her  Mentor,  could 
silence  the  gallant  fiiend  by  my  side,  from  having  a  little  amiable 


Chap.  XXXII. ]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  199 

chit-chat  with  his  timid  neighbor.  From  sheer  necessity,  at  in- 
tervals in  the  storm,  the  Frenchman  and  I  were  at  last  forced  to 
monopolize  the  conversation.  He  was  just  returning  from  a 
residence  of  several  years  in  Algiers,  and  was  full  of  interesting 
stories  of  African  life.  The  rain,  the  sight  of  an  occasional  dark 
object  in  the  mist — possibly  either  a  rock  or  the  side  of  a  house — 
a  jolt  now  and  then  reminding  us  of  our  mutual  relation,  the 
crack  of  the  whip  and  the  driver's  voice,  the  dragging  sensation 
of  a  lumbering  vehicle  that  seemed  ever  going  up  hill,  and 
dreams  of  extraordinary  fertility,  were  the  only  other  things  to 
divert  the  attention  for  many  weary  hours.  Even  the  robbei^s 
who  used  formerly  to  infest  this  route  were  probably  either  low- 
spirited,  asleep,  or  retired  from  business.  In  this  state  of  torpor 
we  passed  unconsciously  the  site  of  the  villa  built  by  Francisco 
de  Medici,  at  the  cost  of  immense  treasure,  for  the  vicious  and 
beautiful  Bianca  Capello,  and  the  palace  where  the  lovely  El- 
eanor of  Toledo  was  murdered  by  her  princely  husband. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  were  equally  unfortunate  with  a 
spring,  whose  mud,  upon  being  lighted  up,  is  said  to  burn  for  the 
amusement  of  visitors  ;  and  a  piece  of  rocky  ground  not  far  dis- 
tant, that,  of  its  own  accord,  as  the  peasants  say,  burns  blue  by 
day  and  yellow  by  night.  The  flames  arc  said  to  resemble 
those  from  alcohol,  and  to  rise  a  foot  or  more  from  the  ground  ; 
and  chemists  have  found  them  to  depend  upon  the  exhalation 
of  a  gaseous  compound  of  carbon  and  hydrogen. 

When  broad  daylight  came  I  was  quite  disappointed  with  the 
Apennines.  The  idea  of  being  thus  perched  upon  the  back- 
bone of  Italy,  midway  between  two  seas,  was  decidedly  inter- 
esting, and  one  naturally  looked  for  something  romantic  in  the 
way  of  scenery.  Whatever  we  might  have  passed  in  the  night, 
we  were  now  forced  to  rest  contented  with  the  sight  of  the  re- 
spectable bald  hills,  without  woods  or  precipices,  which  here 
tamely  represent  the  mountain  chain  that  sometimes  fringes  so 
boldly  the  Gulf  of  Genoa.     At  last  we  came  to  a  little  inn  on 


200  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIL 

the  frontiers  of  the  pope's  dominions,  which  thus,  as  it  were, 
partially  envelope  Tuscany.  A  peaceable  breakfast,  the  signs 
of  improvement  in  the  weather,  and  the  merciful  conduct  of  the 
custom-house  officers  at  length  raised  our  spirits  several  de- 
grees. Once  or  twice  the  horses  were  assisted  in  their  arduous 
duties  up  the  steeper  ascents  by  oxen,  and  we  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  walking.  I  fancied  that  the  villages  looked  cleaner, 
and  the  farmhouses  seemed  more  numerous  and  comfortable, 
than  in  that  part  of  the  Papal  States  between  Rome  and  Naples  ; 
and  as  we  traversed  the  more  level  region  toward  Bologna,  the 
soil  visibly  improved  in  richness  and  the  cultivation  was  really 
quite  creditable.  About  noon,  at  a  dashing  pace  we  entered 
the  city  renowned  for  sausages,  leaning  towers,  and  jurispru- 
dence. 

Coming  directly  from  cheerful,  busy  Florence,  the  number 
of  churches  and  functionaries  in  black  visible,  and  the  quiet, 
ancient  air  of  things  in  Bologna,  made  it  almost  seem  like  a 
second  Rome.  It  was  probably  some  saint's  day,  for  I  found 
every  little  chapel  and  place  of  worship  thronged.  Falling  in 
with  the  manners  of  the  place,  I  spent  most  of  my  time  more 
curiously  than  devoutly,  I  fear,  in  going  to  church.  Indeed,  it 
is  the  only  Avay  in  which  many  most  interesting  monuments  and 
choice  works  of  art  in  the  city  can  be  seen. 

As  the  seat  of  the  famous  eclectic  school  of  the  Caracci,  its 
churches  and  public  gallery  are  particularly  rich  in  their  pic- 
tures, and  those  of  their  later  disciples  Guido  and  Domenichino. 
A  few  of  the  edifices  still  used  for  religious  worship  are  among 
the  oldest  of  the  kind  in  Italy,  and  exhibit  traces  of  heathen 
temples,  ancient  Greek  paintings,  and  Lombard  architecture. 
The  Church  of  San  Petronio,  commenced  in  the  prosperous 
days  when  Bologna  was  a  republic,  if  completed  according  to 
the  original  plan,  would  be  larger  one  way  than  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome.  Its  interior  is  exceedingly  grand  and  effective,  and  it 
contains  a  masterpiece  in  bas-relief  by  Properzia  de  Rossi,  a 


Chap.  XXXII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  201 

female  artist  celebrated  for  her  misfortunes  and  her  wonderful 
attainments  in  sculpture,  painting,  and  music,  and  who  died  of 
a  broken  heart,  just  as  Pope  Clement  VII.,  having  noticed  the 
fruits  of  her  genius,  at  the  coronation  of  Charles  V.,  in  this 
church,  too  late  invited  her  to  Rome.  Just  in  front  of  this  ed- 
ifice once  stood  the  famous  bronze  statue  of  the  warrior  Pope 
Julius  II.,  executed  by  Michael  Angelo  at  their  reconciliation, 
and  afterward  broken  up  and  cast  into  a  cannon,  after  a  pop- 
ular revolution.  It  is  related  in  die  life  of  the  sculptor  that 
when  he  asked  the  fiery  pontiff,  who  had  added  so  much  to  the 
patrimony  of  St.  Peter,  whether  he  should  represent  him  with 
a  book  in  his  hand,  the  latter  replied,  "  No:  a  sword  would  be 
more  adapted  to  my  character ;  I  am  no  book  man." 

The  Church  of  San  Domenico  contains  among  its  relics  the 
head  of  St.  Dominic,  the  founder  of  the  Inquisition,  said  to  be 
incased  in  more  than  a  hundredweight  of  silver;  his  splendid 
monument,  and  the  tombs  of  Guido  and  Elizabeth  Sirani,  a 
favorite  female  pupil ;  as  also  that  of  Hensius,  king  of  Sardinia, 
commander  of  the  Imperialist  and  Ghibeline  forces  at  the  great 
battle  of  Fossalta. 

The  story  of  the  latter  is  rather  curious.  His  father,  Frederic 
II.,  one  of  the  most  able  and  ambitious  of  the  German  emperors, 
who  so  long  threatened  the  liberties  of  Italy,  having  effected  the 
subjugation  of  the  Guelphs,  or  popular  party,  in  Florence,  turn- 
ed his  attention  to  Bologna,  their  next  stronghold,  and  placed 
his  son,  the  King  of  Sardinia,  at  the  head  of  the  allied  forces  of 
Modena  and  the  other  Ghibeline  cities.  The  Modenese  cavalry 
even  succeeded  in  making  a  sudden  dash  one  day  into  Bologna 
as  far  as  a  public  fountain,  and  cariying  off  a  bucket  celebrated 
in  story  and  song,  and  long  preserved  as  a  proud  trophy.  But 
the  insulted  citizens  soon  after  rallied  all  the  Guelph  forces, 
defeated  the  enemy  in  a  bloody  conflict,  took  King  Hensius 
captive,  and,  defying  the  power  of  the  emperor,  and  refusing 
the  treasures  oflered  in  ransom,  kept  him  in  a  splendid  manner 

1* 


202  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIf. 

as  a  state  prisoner  in  Bologna  till  his  death,  more  than  twenty- 
years  after. 

The  University  of  Bologna,  long  its  chief  glory,  and  the  most 
ancient  of  Italy,  it  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  where  academic 
degrees  were  conferred.  It  was  for  a  lengthened  period  prin- 
cipally famous  as  the  first  law  school  of  Europe.  It  claims  the 
merit  of  extending  the  researches  of  medicine  by  introducing 
human  dissection ;  and  in  later  times,  it  will  be  recollected  that 
within  its  walls  originated  the  discovery  of  galvanism.  More 
than  any  other  seat  of  science  in  the  world,  perhaps,  it  inherits 
the  peculiar  honor  of  having  had  the  professor's  chair  in  almost 
every  department  filled  at  some  period  or  other  by  learned  la- 
dies. Novella  d' Andrea  supphed  her  father's  place  in  teaching 
the  canon  law ;  Matilda  Tambroni  was  professor  of  Greek  ; 
Laura  Bassi,  a  lady  doctor  of  laws,  had  the  chair  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  philosophy ;  and  Madonna  Manzolini  gradu- 
ated in  surgery,  and  taught  one  of  its  branches. 

The  beauty  of  Christina  de  Pisan,  another  of  these  lady  pro- 
fessors, is  said  to  have  been  so  fascinating  that  when  she  lectured 
it  was  necessary  to  have  a  curtain  drawn  before  her,  in  order 
that  the  students  might  not  be  distracted  by  her  charming  face 
from  the  drier  study  of  the  law. 

I  fancy  that  after  admiring  the  lofty  leaning  edifice  at  Pisa, 
with  its  circular  columns  and  exquisite  masonry  rising  literally 
like  a  dreamy  "  castle  in  the  air,"  most  persons  will  be  much 
disappointed  in  visiting  the  square  brick  curiosities,  apparently 
about  to  tumble  down,  which  are  pointed  out  as  the  true  leaning 
towers  of  Bologna.  The  latter  resemble  the  former  in  archi- 
tectural beauty  about  as  much  as  a  tall  chimney  does  an  ele- 
gant church. 


Chap.  XXXIIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  203 


CHAPTER  XXXIIL 

Eai-ly  Rising — Moonlight — Lombardy — The  Po — Ferrara — Italian  Politics — 
Palazzo  d'Este — Tasso's  Prison. 

Havin'g  taken  my  place  for  Fenara  over  night,  in  my  great 
anxiety  not  to  be  delayed,  I  engaged  a  couple  of  assistants  in 
the  virtuous  practice  of  early  rising.  A  little  after  three  in  the 
morning  I  was  gliding  stealthily  along  in  the  shadow  of  the  im- 
posing gloomy  arcades  with  which  so  many  of  the  sidewalks  of 
Bologna  are  covered.  The  city  was  as  silent  as  a  graveyard, 
the  sky  was  intensely  clear  and  blue,  and  the  full,  round  moon 
shed  a  flood  of  hght  over  spires,  towers,  and  ruined  palaces, 
that  made  the  whole  seem  like  the  fairy  creation  of  a  dream.  On 
coming  to  the  appointed  place  and  knocking,  not  the  least  sign 
of  life  could  be  perceived,  and  for  some  time  I  stood  alone  in  the 
street,  looking  anxiously  upward  and  around,  and  might  have 
passed  for  a  bewildered  policeman,  or  disappointed  serenader. 

One  by  one  a  group  of  three  or  four  gathered  in  the  street 
with  carpet-bags  and  signs  of  itinerancy,  and  at  last  the  door 
opened,  and  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  kind  of  extensive 
omnibus,  in  which  each  chose  a  corner,  and  the  company  ar- 
ranged themselves  in  various  positions,  the  most  fashionable  of 
which  seemed  the  classic  one  between  lying  and  sitting,  in 
which  certain  respectable  people,  some  two  thousand  yeai"a 
since,  used  to  take  their  dinner.  The  road  was  so  smooth  as 
scarcely  to  disturb  our  slumbers,  and  daylight  found  us  in  the 
midst  of  the  extensive  dead  level  of  the  valley  of  the  Po.  Like 
the  waters  of  the  Nile,  those  of  this  famous  river  ai"e  tlie  source 
of  great  fertility,  only  that  in  the  latter  case  the  irrigation  is  en- 
tirely artificial,  and  is  controlled  by  enormous  embankments 
and  canals,  and  ditches  innumerable.     The  fields  are  di\'ided 


204  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIII. 

into  oblong  squares  a  few  rods  in  width,  separated  by  the 
smaller  of  these  ditches,  and  rows  of  willow  and  Lombardy 
poplar,  which  are  closely  trimmed  for  fuel. 

At  proper  periods  the  land  is  flooded  by  suitable  contriv- 
ances, and  receives  a  rich  sediment ;  and  some  of  these  artificial 
inundations  covered  the  fields  and  places  as  we  passed.  To- 
ward noon  we  entered  rather  violently  the  quiet,  ancient  city  of 
Ferrara.  The  arrival  of  a  diligence  appeared  to  be  quite  an 
important  event,  and  a  numerous  detachment  of  beggars,  guides, 
policemen,  and  other  functionaries  stood  drawn  up  to  receive 
us.  Many  of  these  were  needed,  to  lessen  those  petty  vexations 
of  traveling  which  in  Italy  are  at  times  quite  annoying  to  quiet 
people.  At  every  town  you  must  have  a  new  name  to  youi' 
passport,  to  depart  in  peace ;  and  a  commissioner  commonly 
waits  upon  you  to  relieve  you  of  the  duty  for  a  small  sum  on 
your  first  arrival ;  if  at  all  hurried,  it  is  necessary  to  hire  an  at- 
tendant to  find  out  for  you  the  various  objects  of  curiosity ;  and 
in  addition  to  these  and  the  numerous  objects  of  charity  who 
piteously  hold  up  their  hands  and  flock  around  you,  the  ap- 
parition of  a  hat  every  time  the  horses  are  changed  reminds  you 
of  your  benevolent  duties  toward  the  postboys. 

Singling  out  for  my  companion  a  bright-looking  lad  of  six- 
teen, apparently  rather  proud  of  a  little  broken  French,  I  un- 
dertook immediately  the  duty  of  seeing  the  town.  My  young 
guide  was  decidedly  intelligent,  and  I  succeeded  in  drawing 
from  him  quite  an  interesting  account  of  his  "  life  and  travels." 
From  books  or  tradition,  he  had  a  fair  notion  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful paintings  in  the  churches,  knew  the  names  of  their  authors, 
and  I  fancied  there  was  a  kindling  of  something  like  patriotic 
pride  in  his  piercing  eye  as  he  pointed  to  the  works  of  Garafalo, 
the  Raphael  of  Ferrara.  Then  came  a  scantily-supplied  mar- 
ket, and  farther  on  was  a  fine  old  cathedral,  with  its  beautiful 
Gothic  front,  and  its  picture  of  the  Last  Judgment  inside,  in 
which  the  artist  has  placed  his  enemies  among  the  condemned. 


Chap.  XXXIII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  505 

and  his  friends  among  the  elect,  including  in  the  respective 
groups  a  lady  \vho  had  rejected  him,  and  another  who  had  ac- 
cepted him  in  maniage. 

Near  the  centre  of  the  town  we  came  to  a  massive  square 
fartress,  which  frowned  gloomily,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  deep 
moat  and  approached  by  bridges.  It  was  once  tenanted  by  the 
princely  House  of  Este,  and  it  has  associated  with  it  thrilling 
recollections.  There,  stealthily,  in  one  fatal  night,  Parisina  and 
her  lover  met  a  cruel  death ;  there,  too,  in  that  pnson-like 
dwelling,  the  highminded  Princess  Renee  had  furnished  an 
asylum  to  the  early  reformers,  when  they  were  driven  from  al- 
most every  other  land.  Huguenot  leaders,  fleeing  from  op- 
pression, once  gathered  in  its  halls  ;  and  there,  under  an  assumed 
name,  Calvin  himself  was  a  guest. 

Deserted  as  Ferrara  now  appears  to  the  visitor,  he  is  remind- 
ed, too,  that  the  munificence  of  her  princes  and  the  intelligence 
of  her  citizens  made  her,  in  more  prosperous  days,  the  sanctu- 
ary of  genius.  Her  school  of  painting  was  one  of  the  first  in 
Italy  ;  and  if  Florence  had  her  Dante,  Ferrara  had  her  Ariosto 
and  her  Tasso.  In  modern  times,  as  in  other  parts  of  Italy,  the 
light,  so  long  dim,  flickered  more  brightly  after  the  agitation  of 
the  French  Revolution  ;  and  a  square,  ornamented  by  the  repub- 
lican invaders,  still  exhibits  a  statue  of  the  "  Italian  Homer." 
Indeed,  in  Italy,  more  than  most  countries  of  Europe,  the  mis- 
eries of  this  great  civil  commotion  have  been  repaid  by  its  fi*uits, 
and  there  more  than  in  any  other  conquest  is  the  era  of  French 
rule  still  gratefully  remembered.  It  abolished  the  feudal  laws, 
gi'catly  reduced  the  number  of  monks  and  idle  ecclesiastics,  and 
diverted  the  lands  and  revenues  which  maintained  many  of  their 
religious  establishments  to  otiicr  purposes ;  it  originated  numer- 
ous roads  and  public  improvements,  and  devised  systems  of 
general  education ;  and  it  promoted  the  more  capable  to  offices  of 
trust,  and  gave  an  impulse  to  the  public  mind  that  is  felt  to  tliis 
day.     Much  as  they  might  have  been  disposed,  the  rulers  estab- 


206  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIII. 

lished  by  the  Congress  of  Vienna  could  not  safely  undo  all  this. 
As  proof  of  their  jealousy  of  the  newly-awakened  spirit  of 
liberty,  the  most  extraordinary  precautions  were  taken  to  crush 
it,  and  in  accordance  with  an  express  stipulation,  on  their  re- 
turn in  1815,  Ferrara,  though  within  the  pope's  dominions,  has, 
till  recently,  been  strongly  garrisoned  with  Austrian  troops. 
The  revolution  of  the  Carbonari  at  Naples,  and  the  outbreak  in 
Piedmont  in  1821 ;  the  insurrections  in  Modena  and  the  Papal 
States,  suppressed  by  Austrian  bayonets  ten  years  later;  the  less 
formidable  plots  since,  and  the  discontents  which,  up  to  the 
accession  of  the  present  pope,  have  crowded  the  prisons  with 
political  offenders,  show  that  there  is  still  patriotic  feeling  at 
work  in  the  minds  of  the  Italians  which  the  utmost  vigilance  of 
their  authorities  can  not  entirely  repress. 

On  returning  from  the  castle,  we  sought  the  spot  whose  asso- 
ciations have  made  it  the  most  famous  sight  in  Ferrara.  Bend- 
ing our  way  to  the  rear  of  a  decayed  pile,  still  occupied  as  a 
hospital,  we  entered  and  walked  about  in  a  gloomy  basement 
cell,  lighted  from  the  yard  by  a  grated  window,  and  were  told 
we  were  pacing  Tasso's  prison.  Having  been  stung  to  remon- 
strance by  the  tyrannical  caprice  of  his  princely  patron,  the  un- 
fortunate poet  was  here  incarcerated  under  the  false  pretext  of 
insanity  for  seven  years,  till  he  was  at  last  released  at  the  inter- 
cession of  some  of  those  powerful  friends  in  the  neighboring 
cities  whom  his  genius  had  won.  The  scanty  furniture  and  part 
of  the  door  are  said  to  have  been  carried  away  piecemeal,  as 
relics,  by  visitors.  Ujjon  the  walls,  and  externally,  are  seen 
the  names  of  Byron,  Casimir  Delavigne,  and  some  hundreds  of 
others,  known  and  unknown.  At  the  instance  of  the  keeper,  I 
added  my  own  to  the  list. 

Entering  by  invitation  the  sick-wards  above,  I  found  them 
more  wretched  in  appearance  than  any  I  had  ever  seen.  In 
one  of  them  candles  were  burning,  and  a  priest  in  white,  with 
an  attendant  or  two,  was  kneeling,  gesticulating,  and  repeating 


Chap.  XXXIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  207 

forms  by  the  bedside  of  a  dying  man ;  and  the  gloom  of  the 
dimly-lighted  place,  the  deathly  silence,  and  the  sight  of  that 
sunken,  pallid  face  inspired  a  feeling  of  deep  sadness. 

I  left  my  companion,  and  wandered  through  the  city  a  while 
in  congenial  loneliness.  It  was  a  hazy,  calm  day,  with  the  air 
of  an  American  Indian  summer,  and.  it  seemed  to  invite  to  con- 
templation. Few  places  speak  more  eloquently  of  fallen  great- 
ness. It  has  lost  three  fourths  of  its  former  population ;  the 
Jews'  quarter  only  prospers ;  the  grass  grows  in  the  wide,  reg- 
ular streets ;  whole  rows  of  houses  in  the  outskirts  are  closed 
and  tenantless,  or,  without  doors  or  windows,  crumble  to  decay. 
Around  is  the  unhealthy  Polesina,  whose  exhalations  give  the 
inhabitants  a  haggard,  sickly  look.  It  is  just  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  below  that  of  the  Po,  whose  waters  every  day 
threaten  to  complete  its  ruin  ;  and  the  traveler  cares  not  to  lin- 
ger long  in  dreary,  desolate  Ferrara. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Dull  Entertainment — Crossing  the  Po — Nervous  Affection — Rovigo — Padua 
— Perseverance — St.  Anthony — Classical  Discoveries. 

It  is  surely  a  great  mercy  that  the  world  is  not  all  a  dead 
level.  Perhaps  one  is  never  more  grateful  for  the  ups  and  downs 
of  his  native  planet,  and  all  the  wild  things  of  creation,  than 
after  lazily  crossing  the  stagnant  plains  of  Lombardy.  The  eye 
is  soon  fatigued  with  a  country  where  all  but  the  sky  is  in  straight 
lines.  From  the  dull  monotony  of  the  landscape,  and  occa- 
sional night  traveling,  I  remember  enduring,  for  days  together, 
an  intolerable  disposition  to  yawn.  Sometimes  I  was  awaken- 
ed from  a  sort  of  nightmare  slumber  by  the  stoppage  of  the 
diligence  to  change  horses,  and  the  attention  of  the  needy  pop- 


203  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIV. 

ulation  that  gathered  round.  There  crept  over  nie  a  sort  of 
fellow-feeling,  that  made  me  unusually  charitable  toward  indo- 
lent people,  and  I  neglected  to  take  notes  either  of  my  sleeping 
or  waking  dreams.  The  turbid  waters  of  the  Po,  as  if  it  had 
been  another  Lethe,  seemed  to  make  one  forgetful,  and  I  be- 
came nearly  as  tame  as  Phseton,  after  using  it  too  long  as  a 
cold  bath.  There  is  a  misty  recollection  of  the  dreary  space 
between  Ferrara  and  the  poverty-stricken  town  on  the  papal 
side  of  the  river,  and  I  can  just  manage  to  conjure  up  shadowy 
images  of  low  farmhouses — moldering  walls,  once  white,  be- 
come mottled  and  green  with  age  and  moisture — files  of  gray 
Roman  oxen,  dragging  grain  and  farming  implements  over  the 
plain — fields  all  ditched  and  ridged  like  a  piece  of  corduroy — 
limbless  trunks  of  willow  and  poplar  in  rows,  Hke  beheaded 
cabbages — men  v/iih  queer-looking  hats,  and  tawny  peasant 
women,  to  whom  a  looking-glass  would  have  been  an  aflflic- 
tion. 

"We  crossed  the  main  branch  of  the  Po  by  attaching  ourselves 
to  the  lower  end  of  a  string  of  boats,  the  uppermost  of  which 
was  fastened,  at  some  distance  above,  to  a  fixture  in  the  middlo 
of  the  river,  and  thus,  by  some  arrangement,  with  the  force  of  the 
current,  without  the  splash  of  an  oar,  and  with  only  a  steersman, 
we  glided  across  the  muddy  stream  something  in  the  style  in 
which  certain  adventurous  or  naughty  people  were  formerly 
represented  to  cross  the  Styx. 

The  Austrian  custom-house  ofl[icers  had  been  represented  to 
me  to  be  about  as  ceremonious  and  suspicious  as  Chinese  man- 
darins ;  and  even  in  the  smaller  towns  in  the  interior,  for  the 
least  informality  in  a  passport,  the  police  were  reported  to  be 
in  the  habit  of  escorting  forgetful  people  to  the  frontier.  I  was 
feverishly  looking  forward  for  some  w^eeks'  arrears  of  letters 
from  home,  which  I  supposed  had  missed  me,  and  which  I  had 
directed  to  be  forwarded  to  Vienna ;  besides,  from  not  expect- 
ing to  have  remained  in  northern  Italy  so  long,  I  had  thought- 


Chap.  XXXIV.]  L0ITERTNG3  IN  EUROPE.  209 

lessly  neglected,  at  the  proper  place,  to  draw  a  sufficient  supply 
of  the  needful,  and  my  exchequer  threatened  soon  to  become 
an  exhausted  receiver;  my  banker's  letter  of  credit  was  only 
next  available  in  the  distant  Austrian  capital,  and  I  felt  a  secret 
horror  of  a  "perfect  vacuum,"  equal  to  that  which  the  old  phi- 
losopher attributed  to  Dame  Nature  herself  It  was  true,  I 
consoled  myself  with  the  thought  that  my  baggage  was  purified 
and  condensed  to  the  most  inoffensive  dimensions,  on  the  poet- 
ical and  practical  principle  that  "  Man  wants  but  little  here  be- 
low." It  was  certain  that  my  precious  traveling-ticket,  from 
salutary  apprehensions,  was  highly  charged  in  advance,  with 
inky  impressions  of  the  double-headed  eagle  and  German  char- 
acters ;  but  a  delay  of  a  few  days  just  then  would  have  been 
disastrous ;  and  as  we  neared  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Po,  and 
the  boundaries  of  the  Lombardo- Venetian  kingdom,  I  confess  I 
felt  decidedly  nervous.  A  pipe,  even  among  savages,  is  a  sign 
of  peace.  I  caught  a  comforting  glimpse  of  my  anticipated 
foes,  in  blue  coats  and  military  caps,  at  a  little  distance,  pas- 
sively inhaling  the  soothing  weed,  and  I  felt  still  better  as,  on 
presenting  my  effects  and  papers,  I  looked  inquiringly  into  their 
broad,  good-natured  faces,  and  found  them  expressive  of  nothing 
more  alarming  than  the  love  of  smoke  and  beer. 

We  were  let  off  with  a  careful,  but  cautious  examination  ; 
my  passport  was  all  right,  and  with  a  lighter  heart  I  looked 
back  as  we  rattled  along  the  top  of  the  dike  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  river.  The  country  around,  in  exuberant  fertility,  lay 
flatly  beneath  us ;  and  the  muddy  stream,  like  an  immense 
aqueduct,  coursed  in  places  above  the  roofs  of  the  houses.  As 
geologists  have  told  us,  the  effects  of  the  gigantic  system  of  em- 
bankments in  Lombardy  have  been  to  elevate  the  rivers ;  and, 
by  confining  tliem  to  their  beds,  and  carrying  their  earthy  de- 
posits more  rapidly  to  the  sea,  during  the  Christian  era  alone,  to 
cause  the  low  shore  to  encroach  in  places  for  a  space  nearly 
twenty  miles  in  breadth  upon  the  Adriatic.     Except  the  valley 


210  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIV. 

of  the  Arno,  I  saw  no  part  of  the  country  so  carefully  cultivated 
as  portions  of  Austrian  Italy. 

In  the  evening  w^e  arrived  at  the  little  cheeiful  city  of  Ro- 
vigo.  After  refreshing,  I  w^alked  out  a  few  minutes  ;  became 
interested  in  the  tricks  and  gambols  of  the  young  population ; 
and,  being  much  fatigued  returned,  with  scarcely  a  single  edi- 
fying observation.  The  most  ancient  event  in  the  history  of 
the  place  that  my  wearied  brain  could  recall  was,  that  it  had 
given  a  title  to  one  of  the  generals  of  Napoleon. 

Then  came  a  long  ride  by  misty  moonlight — the  splash  of 
being  ferried  over  a  broad,  rapid  stream,  which,  on  waking  up, 
proved  to  be  the  Adige — thoughts  or  dreams  of  the  marches 
and  conflicts  of  the  French  and  Austrians  upon  its  banks ;  and 
then  a  relapse  into  the  same  yawning  sensations,  till  at  last  the 
whip  became  more  musical,  and  we  wound,  by  the  light  of  dim 
lamps,  through  streets  darkened  at  the  sides  by  heavy  arches 
in  the  old  Italian  style,  and  some  one  muttered  we  were  in  Pa- 
dua. The  diligence  drove  into  the  yard  of  a  large  hotel ;  and, 
excessively  tired,  I  hastened  to  a  bed  in  the  regions  above.  On 
turning  to  close  the  door,  I  found  myself  followed  into  my  very 
bedroom  by  the  appaiition  of  an  enterprising  and  impudent 
postillion,  beseeching  for  an  extra  gratuity.  Half  amused  at 
his  ingenuity,  I  bought  him  off  as  speedily  as  possible,  and 
threw  myself  upon  the  bed.  Next  day  was  spent  in  quietly 
strolling  about  the  city. 

I  was  surprised  to  notice  so  many  government  lottery  estab- 
lishments. The  Italians,  particularly  of  the  lower  classes,  have 
a  perfect  passion  for  this  species  of  gambling ;  and  the  authori- 
ties, perhaps  finding  it  difficult  to  suppress,  every  where  make 
it  a  source  of  revenue.  Any  accident,  or  natural  phenomenon, 
which  can  be  tortured  to  refer  mystically  to  a  number,  is  said 
to  cause  a  run  upon  it  by  the  superstitious  multitude.  If  a 
man,  for  instance,  were  to  fall  and  break  his  leg  in  two  places, 
there  would  probably  be  a  rush  for  the  number  two.     I  had 


Chap.  XXXIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  21i 

the  curiosity,  one  day  in  Naples,  to  compare,  and  I  found  the 
licensed  lottery-offices  considerably  to  exceed  the  book-stores. 
I  supposed  that  the  firmer  government  of  Austria  might  regulate 
this  matter  much  better ;  but  there  seemed  no  great  difference. 

Amons:  the  rest  I  sauntered  into  the  ma2:nificent  Church  of 
St.  Anthony,  the  patron-saint  of  Padua,  to  whom  tradition 
attributes  miracles  innumerable.  It  is  crowned  with  eight 
cupolas,  something  in  the  Oriental  style,  and  contains  exquisite 
carving  and  painting ;  but  one  is  sometimes  fatigued  with 
minute  descriptions  even  of  beautiful  churches.  The  University 
of  Padua  possesses  the  most  ancient  botanical  garden  and  ana- 
tomical theatre  in  the  world.  More  especially  in  the  depart- 
ment of  medicine  it  still  retains  a  portion  of  its  ancient  glory. 
In  the  catalogue  of  its  professors,  it  has  been  honored  with  the 
names  of  Vesalius,  Fallopius,  Spigelius,  and  the  illustrious  Mor- 
gagni.  At  present,  in  the  four  faculties,  it  usually  accommo- 
dates from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  students. 

As  proof  of  their  classical  enthusiasm,  it  may  be  mentioned 
that,  at  the  revival  of  learning  in  Italy  during  the  middle  ages, 
the  citizens  of  Padua  took  absolute  possession  of  the  right  to 
the  nativity  of  Livy  ;  and  finding  a  skeleton  in  a  leaden  coffin, 
near  the  spot  where,  according  to  tradition,  had  stood  his 
house,  the  anatomical  skill  of  the  professors  discovered  it  to  be 
his  bones.  Portions  were  sent,  by  request,  as  j)recious  relics, 
to  kings  ;  and  the  remainder  was  buried  beneath  a  suitable 
monument  with  the  most  imposing  ceremonies.  More  ambi- 
tiously still,  hi  the  thirteenth  century,  they  dug  up  a  marble 
sarcophagus,  containing  a  gigantic  bony  frame,  enveloped  in 
lead  and  cypress,  with  a  swt>rd  in  its  hand,  wliicli,  upon  refer- 
ence to  book,  chapter,  and  verse  in  the  ^Kneid,  was  pronoun- 
ced to  be  that  of  their  great  founder,  Atenor,  the  Trojan  ;  and 
the  poor  heathen  was  honored  with  a  burial  in  a  Christian 
church  in  a  style  of  which  he  had  never  dreamed. 


212  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXV. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Poetry  and  Steam — Bridging  the  Sea — Venice — Piazza  of  St.  Mark — Ca- 
thedral— Stealing  a  Patron — Doge's   Palace — Council  of  Ten — Bridge  of 

Sighs. 

Puff,  pufF,  puff,  and  away  we  flew,  leaving  Padua  behind ; 
the  head  grew  dizzy  with  the  sight  of  farmhouses  and  poplars 
chasing  each  other  backward  over  the  level  plain,  and  we  seem- 
ed skimming  the  earth  as  if  in  the  wooden-jointed  tail  of  a 
little  smoking  comet.  What  an  innovation  to  be  calling  upon 
the  '*  Bride  of  the  sea,"  on  wheels  by  steam  !  Yet,  presently 
we  came  to  the  low  margin  of  the  Adriatic,  and  in  the  distance, 
bright  and  fairy,  as  if  she  had  just  floated  up  from  the  caves  of 
ocean,  and  reposed  in  state  upon  its  breast,  with  the  waves  kiss- 
ing her  feet,  lay  beautiful  Venice. 

Within  the  last  few  years  a  bridge  for  the  railroad,  intended 
to  be  completed  to  Milan,  has  been  built,  at  enormous  expense, 
all  the  way  over  the  shallow  sea  from  Venice  to  the  mainland,  for 
a  distance  of  more  than  two  miles.  As  we  came  to  this  the  cars 
slackened  their  pace,  and  we  commenced  gently  crossing  the  la- 
gune.     The  passage  seemed  to  have  lost  much  of  its  romance. 

How  charming  it  would  have  been  to  have  first  floated  to  the 
sea-born  city,  as  in  days  of  yore,  in  one  of  her  own  gondolas, 
soothingly,  as  the  spirits  in  Indian  story  were  borne  to  their  isl- 
and Paradise  !  How  pleasant  to  have  tempted  the  gondoliers 
to  sing  from  Tasso  ! 

There  was  little  time  for  idle  speculation.  In  ten  minutes 
we  were  safely  deposited  in  Venice.  It  is  built,  as  most  are 
aware,  upon  some  seventy  or  eighty  low  islands,  upon  which, 
according  to  Gibbon,  the  Christian  fugitives  fi'om  Aquelia  and 
the  mainland,  in  the  sixth  century,  sought  refuge  from  the 
sword  of  Attila  and  the  Huns. 


Chap.  XXXV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  218 

There  is  but  very  littl^  tide  in  the  Adriatic,  and  the  lagune  is 
sheltered  from  storms  by  long  j^rojecting  banks  toward  the  sea, 
and  marble  palaces  and  churches  in  airy.  Oriental  style  seem  to 
rise  as  out  of  the  calm  waters  themselves. 

Communication  is  kept  up  between  different  parts  of  the  city 
by  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  canals,  and  innumerable  land  pass- 
ages, like  alleys,  three  or  four  feet  wide,  perforating  the  masses 
of  houses,  and  crossing  these  water-streets  by  bridges.  These 
again  are  arched,  to  admit  of  boats  and  gondolas  beneath,  and 
thus  almost  every  house  in  Venice  is  accessible  both  by  land 
and  water.  The  w^onderful  stillness  occasioned  by  the  absence 
of  paved  streets,  carriages,  or  horses — the  gliding  of  beautiful 
fairy  barks  noiselessly  here  and  there — the  effect  of  the  rich, 
stately  mansions  of  the  ancient  merchant-princes  towering  amid 
state  palaces  and  churches — and  occasional  glimpses  of  the  sur- 
rounding blue  sea  that  laves  their  marble  thresholds — all  con- 
spire to  produce  a  strange  impression  at  first,  as  if  you  were 
wandering  in  some  enchanted  place. 

After  winding  for  a  long  time  through  narrow  passages,  I  at 
last  came  to  the  great  centre  of  attraction  in  Venice,  the  Square 
of  St.  Mark.  It  is  one  of  the  most  splendid  in  Europe.  On 
the  east  are  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Mark  and  the  Doge's  Palace, 
while  on  the  other  sides  are  seen  the  splendid  official  residences 
of  the  ancient  dignitaries  of  the  republic,  the  more  modern  Pa- 
lazzo Reale,  and  the  lofty  Campanile.  The  most  imposing  of 
these,  externally,  perhaps,  is  the  cathedral.  It  is  a  gorgeous 
pile  of  many-colored  marbles,  crowned  by  several  domes,  in 
Eastern  style,  with  its  greatest  attraction  over  its  portal,  in  the 
shape  of  the  famous  gilt  bronze  horses,  plundered  fiom  the 
Hippodrome  of  Constantinople,  at  its  rapture  during  tlie  fourth 
crusade.  They  are  somewhat  celebrated  for  their  travels,  hav- 
ing started  from  parts  unknown,  and  in  addition  to  the  places 
mentioned,  having  visited  Alexandria,  Rome,  and  moie  recently 
returned  from  a  trip  to  Paris  to  grace  the  triumph  of  Napoleon. 


214  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXV. 

St.  Mark's  seems  to  have  been  the  fruit  of  that  mingling  of  su- 
perstition, religious  zeal,  and  intense  patriotic  pride  peculiar  to 
some  of  the  Italian  republics  in  earlier  times. 

Some  Venetian  traders  visiting  the  poit  of  Alexandria,  in  the 
ninth  century,  contrived  to  bribe  the  priests  to  substitute  the 
body  of  a  lady  saint  for  the  reputed  remains  of  St.  Mark ;  and 
after  concealing  the  fruits  of  their  pious  theft  in  a  furled  sail, 
from  the  infidel  officer  in  search,  they  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape  to  Venice,  and  were  greeted  by  the  whole  city 
with  the  most  extravagant  demonstrations  of  joy.  St.  Mark 
was  solemnly  adopted  as  the  patron-saint  of  the  republic.  His 
effigy  or  his  lion  thenceforth  figured  on  the  coins  and  standards 
of  the  republic,  and  the  rallying  cry  of  her  citizens  in  tumult,  or 
her  soldiers  in  battle,  was,  ever  after,  Viva  San  Marco  !  The 
magnificent  church  we  have  been  describing,  was  designed  to 
his  honor,  and  we  are  told  that  for  a  lengthened  period  during 
its  erection  the  Venetian  merchants  returning  from  every  part 
of  the  Mediterranean  vied  with  each  other  in  bringing  home 
beautiful  marbles  and  treasures  to  enrich  this  national  monu- 
ment. Interiorly,  its  gloominess  prevents  the  profusion  of  pre- 
cious stones,  mosaics,  and  costly  ornaments,  with  which  it  is 
decorated,  from  being  seen  to  advantage. 

In  ancient  times  the  churchwardens,  or  guardians  of  the 
treasures  of  St.  Mark,  were  a  numerous  and  highly  privileged 
body.  They  were  lodged  in  a  palace,  and  in  the  later  and 
more  venal  days  of  the  republic,  when  dignities  were  bartered 
for  money,  the  place  was  sold  for  a  hundred  thousand  crowns. 

A  little  distance  from  St.  Mark's  is  its  campanile,  or  bell- 
tower,  three  hundred  feet  high.  I  panted  up  the  steps  one 
day,  and  was  richly  repaid  by  a  magnificent  view  of  the  fairy 
city  beneath,  the  shipping  in  port,  the  distant  curved  shore,  and 
the  calm  sea  around,  dotted  with  tributary  islands.  Opposite 
this  tower  is  the  famous  town  clock,  with  its  dial  plate  glitter- 
ing in  gold  and  azure,  and  exhibiting  certain  motions  of  the 


Ohap.  XXXV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  215 

heavenly  bodies.  Bronze  images  of  two  men,  with  hammers, 
strike  the  hours,  one  of  whom  is  said  to  have  been  once  guilty 
of  manslaughter,  by  disturbing,  with  an  unlucky  blow,  the  grav- 
ity of  an  unfortunate  workman.  The  space  about  the  front  of 
the  cathedral  every  where  presents  interesting  memorials.  First 
come  the  bronze  bases  to  receive  the  masts,  from  which  were 
anciently  suspended  the  three  gonfalons  of  silk  and  gold,  rep- 
resenting the  three  rich  dominions  of  the  republic,  Venice,  Cy- 
prus, and  Morea;  then,  as  you  traverse  the  Piazzetta  toward 
the  water,  are  seen  the  curiously-sculptured  square  piers  of  St. 
John  of  Acre,  carried  away  from  the  gates  of  that  city  ;  the 
Stone  of  Shame,  where  bankrupts  were  once  freed  and  humilia- 
ted ;  and  on  the  very  edge  of  the  port  stand  the  two  celebrated 
columns,  crowned  with  the  winged  lion  of  St.  Mark,  and  the 
statue  of  St.  Theodore,  his  predecessor  in  the  care  of  the  city, 
between  which  criminals  were  always  executed.  Of  these 
columns  there  is  a  curious  tradition.  The  Venetians  having 
brought  them  as  a  prize  from  Constantinople,  were  puzzled  to 
fix  them  steadily  upright,  and  offered  a  suitable  reward  for  this 
purpose.  A  certain  accomplished  gentlemen,  whose  feats  had 
gained  him  the  appellation  of  "  Nick,  the  Blackleg,"  succeed- 
ed, and  claimed,  as  the  price  of  his  labor,  the  privilege  of  play- 
ing between  the  columns  prohibited  games  of  chance.  The 
authonties,  feeling  bound  by  their  promise,  could  not  refuse  ; 
but  defeated  his  purpose  by  assigning  it  as  the  place  for  the 
expiation  of  guilt  with  blood,  and  thus  making  it  an  ill-omened 
spot,  dreaded  by  the  superstitious  multitude. 

Between  St.  Mark's  and  the  mole  stands  the  magnificent 
Doge's  Palace.  After  being  partially  destroyed  by  fire  two 
or  three  times,  it  assumed  its  present  form  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Ascending  the  "  Giant's  Stairs,"  I  was  soon  wander- 
ing among  its  stately  apartments.  Few  places  ever  called  up 
more  thrilling  remembrances.  The  walls  are  adorned  with  rep- 
resentations of  the  great  naval  victory  of  Don  John  of  Austria 


216  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXV. 

and  the  Venetians  over  the  Turks  at  Lepanto,  and  many  other 
triumphs  and  events  in  the  history  of  the  republic,  by  Paul  Ve- 
ronese, Tintoretto,  and  other  masters  of  the  Venetian  school ; 
and  in  the  series  of  portraits  of  the  doges  there  is  only  one 
vacancy,  and  the  beholder  is  reminded  of  a  fearful  tragedy  as 
he  gazes  upon  a  black  space  in  the  frame  where  the  likeness 
should  be,  and  reads  a  Latin  inscription,  stating,  "  This  is  the 
place  of  Marino  Faliero,  beheaded  for  crimes." 

One  of  the  chambers  was  pointed  out  as  that  of  the  famous 
Council  of  Ten.  This  odious  tribunal  of  a  jealous  aristocracy, 
it  will  be  remembered,  was  clad  with  fearful  powers,  and  for 
five  centuries  ruled  the  destinies  of  Venice.  The  fortune  and 
life  of  every  citizen  were  entirely  at  their  mercy.  Their  will 
was  law.  The  unhappy  accused  never  confronted  their  ac- 
cusers, were  sometimes  refused  even  a  hearing,  and  their  death, 
in  various  horrid  forms,  was  as  secret  as  their  condemnation. 
But,  to  make  matters  worse,  the  Council  of  Ten,  at  a  later 
period,  deputed  these  unlimited  powers  to  three  inquisitors  of 
state.     The  whole  city  was  filled  with  paid  spies. 

In  a  part  of  the  walls  of  the  palace  T  was  shown  the  openings 
where  once  gaped  the  terrible  lions'  mouths  to  receive  anony- 
mous accusations.  Prisoners  were  either  confined  in  hot,  un- 
wholesome places  for  the  purpose,  just  beneath  the  leads  of  the 
roof  of  the  palace,  or  sent  to  the  dark  dungeons  we  visited  beneath 
the  level  of  the  water.  Instruments  ready  for  strangling,  be- 
heading, and  various  forms  of  death,  were  kept  in  these  gloomy 
recesses.  Between  the  Doge's  Palace  and  a  sort  of  Bastile, 
a  canal  runs,  where  a  gondola  used  statedly  to  wait  to  receive 
the  bodies  of  the  victims.  Some  distance  aloft  is  a  closed  gallery 
connecting  the  two  edifices,  by  which  it  is  said  the  condemned 
crossed  the  fatal  stream  never  to  return ;  and  I  still  remember 
the  involuntary  shudder  that  came,  as  from  the  surface  below  I 
gazed  upward  on  the  "  Bridge  of  Sighs." 


Chap.  XXXVI.]  LOITERINGS  I\  EUROPE.  217 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Sentimental  Habit — Housetop  Reflections — A  Gondola — Grand  Canal — 
Bridge  of  the  Rialto — Trieste — Crossing  the  Julian  Alpji — Carniola — 
Styria. 

I  HAVE  always  had  a  special  fondness  for  meditating  by 
moonlight.  It  may  be  from  an  instinct,  like  that  of  those  lady 
sages  who  never  plant  vegetables  without  consulting  that  po- 
tent luminary,  or  from  poetical  associations  ;  but  certain  it  is 
I  am  frequently  attacked  with  fits  of  tender  enthusiasm  on  the 
appearance  of  her  ladyship  the  queen  of  the  night.  On  a 
housetop  in  Venice — gazing  on  fairy  palaces,  and  the  moonlit 
sea — how  romantic !  So  thought  I,  as  I  stood  leaning  over  the 
Square  of  St.  Mark,  and  the  gorgeous  piles  around,  one  bright, 
cool  evening.  How  rich  was  the  story  of  that  spot !  From 
yonder  palace  for  centuries  the  doge  and  his  train,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Feast  of  Ascension,  had  issued  forth  to  pay  their  de- 
votions ;  and  having  embarked  on  board  the  shining  Bucentaur, 
with  festive  shouts,  had  visited  the  shore  of  Lido,  and  renewed 
the  marriage  rites  of  Venice  with  the  sea.  Within  the  portal 
of  that  church,  Pope  Alexander  HI.  had  placed  his  foot  upon 
the  neck  of  a  warlike  emperor,  long  his  enemy,  haughtily 
breathing,  "  The  young  lion  and  the  dragon  shalt  thou  tread 
under  thy  feet."  It  was  within  that  same  glorious  old  pile  of 
St.  Mark's  that  the  counts  of  Flanders,  Champagne,  and  Blois, 
and  a  mail-clad  host,  had  gatheied,  with  the  merchant-princes 
of  Venice  to  hear  mass  for  the  last  time  before  the  sailing  of 
their  splendid  armament  for  the  fourth  crusade  ;  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  solemnities  the  Doge  Dandolo,  eighty-four  years 
of  age,  and  blind,  had  risen  and  offered  to  take  the  sign  of  the 
cross  and  be  theii'  leader,  and  an  answering  shout  had  risen, 

K 


23  8  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XXXVl; 


"  In  God's  name  do  as  you  have  said  !"  and  the  veteran  had 
tottered  forth  to  be  the  conqueror  of  Constantinople.  The  place 
had  witnessed  some  of  the  most  splendid  pageants  the  world 
had  ever  seen.  Beneath  an  awning  stretched  from  opposite 
palaces,  and  converting  the  whole  Square  of  St.  Mark's  into  a 
magnificent  saloon,  glittering  with  artificial  stars,  and  laid  with 
the  richest  cai^pets  of  the  East,  Henry  III.  of  France  had  found 
the  senate  waiting  in  state  to  receive  their  royal  guest. 

That  palace,  and  its  dungeons  too,  had  witnessed  dark  deeds 
innumerable.  There  Carrara,  the  vanquished  Lord  of  Padua, 
and  his  two  sons,  under  pretext  of  treating  for  peace,  had  been 
treacherously  murdered;  and  there  the  brave  General  Carmag- 
nuola  had  expiated  his  misfortunes  with  his  blood.  Even  in  our 
own  times,  fettered  by  the  despotism  of  Austiia,  there  had 
meekly  pined  poor  Silvio  Pellico. 

I  was  getting  on  famously,  and  meditating  a  descent  upon 
the  bright  waters  in  a  gondola,  when  a  pelting  rain-storm  quench- 
ed my  fire,  and  sent  me  to  bed. 

Sauntering  along  the  edge  of  the  Rialto,  one  day,  I  came  to 
a  place  whei'e  a  collection  of  gondolas  lay  moored,  with  their 
steersmen,  waiting  patiently  for  passengers,  as  a  lot  of  London 
cabmen.  I  was  bent  on  a  trip  on  this  magnificent  canal.  The 
gondola,  as  most  are  aware,  is  a  beautiful  little  pleasure-barge, 
painted  black,  drawing  but  a  few  inches  of  water,  with  a  lofty, 
picturesque  prow,  and  a  comfortable  little  inclosure  for  sitting,- 
canopied  over  and  cushioned  beneath.  It  is  managed  by  one 
or  two  rowers  standing  up,  and  looks  exceedingly  pretty  when 
moving  through  the  water. 

Presently  we  were  floating  along  past  splendid  palaces  of  the 
ancient  Venetian  nobles.  The  shores  on  both  sides  are  lined 
by  these  proud  edifices.  At  last  we  came  to  the  famous  Bridge 
of  the  Rialto.  It  consists  of  a  single  lofty  arch  with  a  span  of 
near  a  hundred  feet.  There  are  three  divisions  like  streets  for 
crossing,  and  it  is  ornamented  with  three  rows  of  shops. 


Chap.  XXX VI.]  LOITEEINGS  IN  EUROPE;  21^ 

The  palaces  of  Venice,  and  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  con- 
tain a  great  many  choice  paintings  from  her  own  masters,  many 
of  them  on  patriotic  subjects.  But  who  can  represent  the  ex- 
quisite coloring  of  Titian,  Paul  Veronese,  or  Tintoretto  by 
cold,  written  description  'I 

I  had  my  passport  all  ready,  and  very  comfortably,  as  I 
thought,  reserved  the  whole  of  my  last  day  in  Venice  for  a  visit 
to  the  ancient  armory  and  cunosities  of  the  Arsenal.  On  ar- 
riving at  the  place,  the  gates  were  provokingly  shut,  and  the 
keepers  as  immovable  as  the  marble  lions  in  front.  It  was 
one  of  their  numerous  saints'  days.  I  remonstrated  so  feelingly, 
and  appealed  to  their  love  of  money  so  strongly,  that  they  took 
me  to  a  higher  functionary,  to  whom  I  made  my  best  bow,  and 
lisped  my  most  soothing  signore  for  permission.  "  No,  signore," 
said  he,  "  not  to-day,  if  you  were  an  archduke."  Annoyed  and 
feverish  to  get  on,  1  determined  not  to  pay  him  the  proposed 
compliment  of  remaining  another  day. 

So,  in  a  pelting  storm,  like  that  in  Venetian  tradition,  in 
which  St.  Mark  was  feriied  across  the  harbor  by  the  affrighted 
fisherman,  to  fi-ustrate  the  designs  of  a  galley  full  of  imps  and 
save  the  city,  I  crossed  the  Piazza  of  St.  Mark,  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  with  three  suffering  fellow-creatures  shoved 
off  to  the  steamer. 

The  steamer  puffed,  and  the  bell  rang  ominously,  and,  amid 
a  perfect  hubbub  and  pitchy  darkness,  we  stood  for  the  Adii- 
atic.  I  retired  to  the  cabin  to  ruminate  and  dry.  Daylight 
and  breakfast  came,  the  poor  soldiers  and  knapsacks  on  deck 
"were  stowed  away,  the  stonn  subsided,  and  before  noon  I  was 
peacefully  walking  the  deck  and  reflecting  on  the  romantic 
associations  of  that  storied  sea.  We  were  in  one  of  the  Aus- 
trian Lloyd  Company's  fleet  and  strong  steamers,  such  as  they 
are  now  sending  all  over  the  eastern  Mediterranean. 

In  the  afternoon  we  cauglit  a  glimpse  of  tlie  Wdxy  outline  of 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  Adiiatic,  backed  by  mountains,  and  ten 


220  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE  [Chap.  XXXVI. 

ward  evening  we  ran  among  a  crowd  of  merchantmen,  ships  of 
war,  and  steamers  into  the  port  of  Trieste.  The  minghng  of 
different  tongues  on  shore  reminded  one  of  Marseilles,  only  that 
the  Italian  was  the  staple  instead  of  French,  and  German 
came  next.  Within  little  more  than  a  century  it  has  risen,  by 
imperial  favor  and  natural  advantages,  from  being  a  small  town 
to  be  the  first  seaport  of  the  Austrian  empire,  and  its  choice  by 
the  English  as  the  line  of  the  overland  route  for  India  has  added 
much  to  its  prospects.  It  is  rather  prettily  nestled  at  the  foot 
of  hills,  rising  in  the  background.  The  stir  about  the  wharves, 
the  newness  of  the  houses,  and  the  width  of  the  streets,  remind- 
ed me  of  one  of  our  own  Atlantic  cities. 

I  was  anxious  to  take  the  first  conveyance  and  hasten  over 
the  mountains  northward  for  Vienna.  There  were  two  kinds, 
a  larger  and  slower  vehicle,  corresponding  with  the  French  dil- 
igence ;  and  a  smaller,  swifter  conveyance,  carrying  the  mails 
and  three  passengers,  one  beside  the  driver  and  two  inside.  I 
chose  the  latter.  My  immediate  companion  was  an  Austrian 
captain,  who  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  kind 
traveling  acquaintances  I  ever  met.  Eying  me  good-naturedly 
as  we  were  stepping  into  the  vehicle,  and  recognizing  me  as  a 
stranger,  he  politely  addressed  me  in  French,  telling  me  to  have 
at  command  all  my  traveling  wardrobe,  as  the  mild  air  of 
Trieste  would  soon  be  exchanged  for  the  snow-blasts  of  the 
mountains.  We  toiled  up  the  heights  back  of  the  town,  bade 
adieu  to  the  Adriatic  and  balmy  Italy,  and,  in  a  few  hours,  in 
spite  of  my  blanket  and  pilot  coat,  my  teeth  were  chattering,  and 
my  knees  shaking  as  with  the  ague.  I  rubbed  a  corner  of  a 
pane,  iced  by  my  breath,  and  looked  upon  bleak  hills  and  rocks 
covered  with  snows,  as  if  we  had  exchanged  the  sunny  south 
for  Greenland.  I  had  simply  caught  December  on  the  Julian 
Alps.  The  change  was  too  violent,  and  I  suffered  terribly. 
But  the  good  captain  protected  me  tenderly,  and  insisted  on 
sharing  with  me  his  warmer  covering  ;  and  by  his  fund  of  good 


Chap.  XXXVr.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  221 

humor  and  cheerfal  conversation  during  that  memorable  night, 
enabled  me  at  times,  in  spite  of  my  shivering,  to  indulge  in  a 
sort  of  gi'im  smile — so  that  I  fancy  if  I  had  actually  congealed, 
and  been  taken  out  next  morning  as  a  frozen  curiosity,  could  I 
have  "kept  my  face,"  I  should  have  furnished,  position  and  all, 
the  most  perfect  realization  of  the  poet's  idea  of"  Patience  on  a 
monument,  smiling  at  Grief." 

The  hilly  country  of  Carniola  was  thickly  covered  with  snow, 
and  the  peasants  were  driving  about  with  their  sledges.  Dur- 
ing the  second  day  I  happened  to  pull  out  an  English  book, 
and,  to  my  astonishment,  the  captain  changed  from  fluent  French 
to  good  English,  and  gave  capital  ciiticisms  on  our  best  poets. 
I  learned  afterward,  from  a  friend,  that  he  conversed  well  in 
some  eight  languages.  Observing  that  the  windows  of  the  farm- 
houses were  invariably  small,  and  secured  with  iron  bars,  like 
prisons,  and  recollecting  certain  imputations  against  their  hospi- 
tality, as  well  as  that  of  their  neighbors  of  Carinthia,  I  inquir- 
ed of  my  friend  as  to  the  truth  of  the  insinuation  contained  in 
the  couplet  from  Goldsmith  : 

"  Or  onward  where  the  rude  Carinthian  boor, 


He  stoutly  denied  the  charge. 

The  sight  of  frequent  wooded  spots,  and  comfortable  small 
farmhouses  among  the  hills,  strongly  reminded  me  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  some  of  the  more  mountainous  portions  of  our  own 
country.  The  dress  and  rugged  aspect  of  the  people,  and  their 
harsh  language,  showed  that  we  had  left  every  trace  of  Italian 
character  behind,  and  more  and  more  as  we  advanced  north- 
ward the  rude  Sclavonian  appeared  verging  toward  the  Ger- 
man. 

Passing  through  Laibach,  and  one  or  two  smaller  towns  and 
villages,  we  at  last  entered  the  mountainous  part  of  Styria, 
and  driving  at  the  fastest  speed,  and  taking  mere  excuses  for 


222  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXX VII. 

meals,  late  the  second  night  we  descended  into  the  little  an- 
cient town  of  Cilly,  quite  benumbed  and  faint,  and  with  just 
force  enough  left  to  stammer  to  the  landlady  the  hungry  Ger- 
man question,  "  Haben  sie  etwas  zu  essen  ?" 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

A  Discovery — Locomotive  Memorial — Gratz — Country — Archduke — Iron — 
Smoke — Vienua  by  Snow-storm — Suburb  City — Austrian  Manners. 

When  I  rose  next  morning  and  began  to  look  about  me,  I 
found  myself  decidedly  in  a  new  country.  The  immense  round 
earthen  stove  in  the  corner  of  my  room,  like  the  pipe  of  a  steam- 
er— the  little  feather-bed,  too  short  at  the  head  and  not  long 
enough  at  the  foot,  that  had  been  over  me  instead  of  under  me, 
and  that  it  had  so  puzzled  me  to  balance  in  my  sleep — the 
fat,  blooming  landlady — the  bill  the  most  moderate  on  the  Con- 
tinent— the  peasant  houses  witli  thick  walls  and  low  roofs — the 
broad  people  with  little  caps — the  hearty,  kind  good  morning 
[giiten  morgen) — the  straw-colored  beer  in  long  glasses — the  or- 
namented pipes,  and  the  smoke  that  came  from  them^were 
all  German.  It  was  a  still  wintry  morning,  and  the  sun  was 
glistening  brightly  on  the  deep  snows  of  the  surrounding  hills. 
I  walked  out  to  try  and  get  a  near  view  of  an  old  ruin  belong- 
ing to  the  ancient  counts  of  Cilly,  once  the  lords  of  all  Carin- 
thia ;  but  the  snow  chilled  my  ardor. 

The  railroad  that  (if  they  can  tunnel  or  scale  the  Alps  be- 
tween) is  intended  to  be  completed  from  Vienna  all  the  way  to 
Trieste,  now  reaches  as  far  as  Cilly.  On  applying  for  my  ticket 
at  the  little  station-house,  I  noticed  on  the  engine  the  name  of 
the  maker,  "  W.  Noriis."  I  recognized  it  immediately  as  the 
mark  of  our  enterprising  countryman  j    and  the   unexpected 


Chap.  XXXVIL]         LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  223 

meetincf  with  the  slijrhtest  memorial  of  home  in  the  wikls  of 
Styria  was  enough  to  cause  quite  a  thrill. 

As  in  our  rapid  flight  by  railroad,  we  came  to  the  more 
level  country,  the  temperature  became  much  milder.  There 
was  an  air  of  plenty  and  domestic  comfort  about  the  dwellings 
of  the  rural  population  that  was  quite  pleasing.  We  crossed 
the  Drave  and  halted  at  Marburg  on  the  opposite  bank,  and, 
skirting  in  places  the  frontiers  of  Hungary,  traversed  a  well- 
cultivated  region,  and  stopped,  at  last,  at  Gratz,  the  capital  of 
Styria.  It  contains  a  scientific  institution  with  lectures,  and  a 
museum,  for  the  study  of  natural  history,  founded  by  the  pa- 
liotic  and  greatly  beloved  Archduke  John. 

Forsaking  the  pomp  of  courts  for  the  dress  and  manners  of 
his  favorite  Styrians,  this  prince  has  married  the  daughter  of  a 
postmaster,  encountered  in  one  of  his  hunting  excursions,  and, 
by  living  familiarly  among  them,  and  encouraging  every  lauda- 
ble enterprise,  has  succeeded  in  acquiring  immense  influence. 

Styria  is  still  as  famous  for  its  excellent  iron  as  it  was  in  the 
time  of  the  Romans.  There  is  a  legend  among  the  miners, 
that,  at  the  expulsion  of  the  Romans  by  the  barbarians  of  the 
North,  the  Genius  of  the  Mountains  appeared  to  the  new-com- 
ers, and  said,  "  Take  your  choice  :  will  you  have  gold  for  a 
year  ? — silver  for  twenty  years  1 — or  iron  forever  ]"  They  wise- 
ly accepted  the  last. 

Gratz  is  a  very  cheery  city  and  delightfully  situated.  The 
necessaries  of  hfe  abound,  and  living  is  said  to  be  cheaper  than 
in  any  other  city  of  Europe. 

Taking  the  cars  again,  we  crossed  the  Mur,  and  pushed 
rapidly  on  to  the  mountain  pass  of  the  Summering.  Here  wo 
were  unpacked  from  the  cars  and  transferred  to  carriages 
drawn  by  horses,  with  which,  in  three  or  four  hours,  we  scaled 
the  mountains,  and  took  the  railroad  again  on  the  other  side. 
All  the  passengers  seemed  inveterate  smokers.  There  was  a 
regulation  posted   up  in   I  he   cars  obliging  all  persons  to  use 


224  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXVIL 

pipes  secured  with  a  cover  or  lid  from  causing  accidents  by 
fire,  and  forbidding  smoking,  except  with  the  consent  of  the 
company  ;  but  the  inhalers  being  an  overwhelming  majority 
always  ruled.  It  was  intensely  cold,  and  the  atmosphere  in- 
side the  cars  was  at  times  perfectly  thick  and  dismal.  Though 
never  yet  a  partaker,  I  have  always  enjoyed  the  sight  of  the 
pleasure  of  smoking  in  others.  I  can  conjure  up  the  faces  of 
dear  friends  that  have  never  beamed  so  kindly,  never  seemed 
so  contented  with  this  soiTowful  world,  as  when,  after  a  social 
repast,  or  in  the  dim  twihght,  softly  as  the  sighing  of  a  fairy, 
curled  from  their  lips  wreaths  of  peaceful  smoke.  But  my  lib- 
eral sentiments  were  in  vain,  and,  more  than  the  most  delicate 
German  lady,  I  coughed  and  panted  for  an  open  corner  of  the 
window.  Indeed,  the  ladies  seemed  to  have  admirably  disci- 
plined themselves  to  the  puffing  propensities  of  their  partners. 

At  last,  we  reached  Vienna  in  the  midst  of  a  furious  snow- 
storm. I  escaped  from  the  cars,  and  took  up  my  quarters  at  a 
clean,  spacious  hotel,  as  I  fancied  in  the  city.  It  was  only  the 
Vorstadt,  a  sort  of  outer  city,  extending  like  an  immense  sub- 
urb a  little  distance  round  the  ancient  walled  city  proper.  Be- 
tween this  outside  city  and  the  inner  one,  there  is  an  immense 
pleasure-ground  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  laid  out  with  walks, 
and  ornamented  with  trees,  and  extending  like  a  belt  round 
the  whole  of  the  old  city.  It  is  used  for  military  exercises  and 
other  purposes,  and  gives  Vienna  a  different  appearance  from 
any  city  in  Europe,  constituting  an  immense  breathing-place, 
as  it  were,  for  the  citizens.  After  crossing  this  broad,  vacant 
space,  you  come  to  a  ditch  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  deep, 
inside  of  which  are  the  defenses  of  the  old  city  walls  that  an- 
ciently resisted  the  Turks  ;  and  you  enter  by  gates  and  gloomy 
passages  into  the  Paris  of  Germany.  Within,  all  is  bustling 
gayety.  Only  with  the  evidences  of  the  lively  pursuits  of 
pleasure,  there  is  more  of  stately  magnificence  than  in  the 
French  capital.     It  is  situated  in  the  flat  basin  of  the  Danube, 


Chap.  XXXVII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  225 

about  two  miles  from  that  noble  stream.  The  streets  are  nar- 
row but  very  cheery,  the  shops  splendid,  the  houses  massive 
and  lofty,  and  the  streaming  of  gay  throngs  and  the  dashing  of 
rich  equipages  through  every  passage  and  square  of  the  central 
or  old  city  keep  the  stranger  in  constant  excitement.  Before 
the  entrances  to  the  numerous  dwellings  of  the  nobility  resi- 
dent in  Vienna,  you  see  in  winter  a  livery  greatcoat  lined  with 
fur,  surmounted  with  huge  bear-skin  collars,  and  stuffed  with 
tall,  red-faced  porters,  standing  passively  all  day  long.  You  are 
soon  reminded,  too,  that  it  is  the  capital  of  a  large  empire,  by 
meeting  in  the  streets  the  dress  and  physiognomy  of  some 
dozen  different  nations.  Germans,  Bohemians,  Poles,  Hun- 
garians, Greeks,  Italians,  Dalmatians,  Tyrolese,  and  all  the  in- 
termediate varieties,  are  curiously  blended.  Encircling  the 
whole  of  the  old  city  is  a  mound  of  earth,  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  high,  two  or  three  rods  in  width,  and  faced  ex- 
ternally with  a  stone  wall.  It  was  this  fortification  which 
saved  the  city  in  two  sieges  by  the  Turks.  Since  its  capture 
by  Napoleon  it  has  been  leveled  on  the  top,  and  forms  a  de- 
lightful dry  pleasui-e-walk  for  all  classes,  from  royalty  down- 
wards. It  served  me  for  a  daily  promenade  the  greater  part 
of  the  winter.  There  is  scarcely  a  better  chance  for  a  stranger 
at  this  season  to  get  a  general  glance  at  the  Viennese  than  at 
the  hour  when  it  is  most  crowded. 

Almost  the  first  features  that  strike  the  attention  of  a  stranger 
with  the  Austrians,  and  the  Viennese  in  particular,  is  their  air 
of  contented  gayety.  The  latter,  indeed,  have  a  proverb,  "  One 
hves  to  live"  ("  Man  Icht  vm  zu  Jchcn") — and  they  zealously  ob- 
sei-ve  it  in  their  own  way.  Austria  is  a  wine  country;  food, 
clothing,  the  necessaries,  and  even  the  luxuries  of  life  are  ex- 
ceedingly cheap.  The  government,  for  political  purposes,  care- 
fully assists  in  providing  for  the  amusement  of  all  classes. 
Vienna  is,  perhaps,  the  most  musical  city  in  the  world.  I 
have  heard  nearly  the  whole  assembly  in  one  of  their  Cuth- 


226  LOTTERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXVII. 

olic  churches  join  with  the  organ  in  chanting  a  beautiful 
and  difficult  anthem ;  and  the  leading  attraction  in  Vienna 
for  years  has  been  Strauss's  famous  band.  The  whole  pop- 
ulation, too,  appear  to  let  off  their  exuberant  spirits  through 
their  heels.  More  than  one  half  of  the  placards  you  see  in  the 
streets  are  of  music  and  dancing.  During  summer,  the  citi- 
zens are  said  to  go  out  to  the  beautiful  environs  of  Vienna  to 
waltz  in  the  open  air.  In  winter,  the  rich  gather  in  splendid 
halls  ;  the  poor  meet  merrily  at  the  smaller  places,  or  rush  to 
the  shows  and  dancing  of  the  "  Elisium,"  a  fairy  cavern  be- 
neath the  city;  and  on  a  frosty  morning,  the  very  children  in 
the  streets  may  be  sometimes  seen  frisking  about  to  measured 
steps  to  keep  themselves  warm.  As  in  all  popular  assemblies 
in  Austria,  the  police  are  sure  to  be  always  present  at  these 
festivities  to  preserve  decorum. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  expression  of  blank  astonishment  in 
the  faces  of  several  Viennese  friends,  at  different  times,  as  I 
tried  to  explain  to  them  the  conscientious  scruples  which  many 
of  the  religious  community  in  our  own  country  have  to  such 
light  amusements.  The  stranger  is  often  surprised  with  the 
warmth  of  heart  and  generous  hospitality  of  the  Austrians,  and, 
in  fact,  all  the  Germans. 

One  is  struck  at  first,  too,  with  their  ceremonious  yet  sincere 
politeness.  It  is  a  mortal  offense  any  where  in  Austria  to  enter 
into  any  apartment,  office,  or  establishment  without  being  un- 
covered. Some  members  of  the  royal  family  visiting  the  man- 
ufactory of  a  fi'iend  doffed  their  hats  to  the  humblest  of  the 
workmen.  More  than  French  politeness,  the  German  seems 
unaffected  and  earnest.  It  is  amusing  to  witness  the  formida- 
ble bows  and  interchange  of  civilities  between  two  postil- 
lions meeting  in  a  cafe.  The  higher  classes  often  mingle  with 
the  common  people  with  much  freedom.  Happening  to  meet 
some  of  the  Austrian  nobility  quietly  paying  their  respects  to 
the  social  circle  of  a  fi'iend,  I  was  struck  with  their  good-na- 


Chap.  XXXVII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  fi27 

tured  communicativeness,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  moved 
in  a  mixed  company. 

One  day  after  dinner,  a  friend,  as  recreation,  gave  me  a  lec- 
ture on  German  titles.  An  ordinary  married  lady  is  address- 
ed simply  Frau  (woman),  or,  more  politely,  Madam  ;  if  of  a 
higher  grade,  Gnddige  Frau  (Gracious  Madam) ;  if  the  husband 
have  a  government  office  she  takes  the  title  of  her  husband 
with  a  feminine  termination,  as  Madam  Directress,  Madame 
Judgess,  Madame  Generaless,  In  speaking  to  an  unmarried 
lady,  you  say  Fraulein,  or  the  French  Mademoiselle.  Gentlemen 
have  an  abundance  of  high-sounding  appellations,  from  plain 
Mcin  HciT,  to  Ilcrr  Von  (ranking  the  English  Esquire),  Rath 
(Councilor),  and  many  others,  depending  on  the  grade  or  pro- 
fession up  to  the  different  orders  of  nobility.  It  is  customary 
to  address  persons  by  titles  above  their  real  rank,  and  to  be 
profuse  with  compliments.  Some  of  the  more  exquisite  of 
these  are  really  curious.  In  Vienna  you  frequently  hear,  as  a 
parting  salutation,  or  courteous  acknow^ledgment  to  a  lady,  "  I 
kiss  your  hand,  gracious  madam  ;"  and  in  a  courtly  way  the 
action  is  sometimes  suited  to  the  word. 


228  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.        [Chap.  XXXVIII. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Street  Lecture — "Declaring  Intentions" — Austrian  Government — Education 
— Policy — Italian  Question — Emperor  and  Empress — St.  Stephen's — Mon- 
ument. 

"Why  have  you  repaid  thesa\'ir]g  of  your  capital  and  country 
from  the  Turks,  by  John  Sobieski  and  his  Poles,  by  helping  to 
enslave  Poland,"  said  I,  warmly,  to  a  Vienna  friend,  as  v^^e  were 
walking  through  the  Prater  one  day,  about  the  time  of  the  Cra- 
cow troubles. 

"  The  people  do  not  i-ule  here,  as  in  your  country  and  Eng- 
land, or  that  never  would  have  happened,"  he  replied.  "  We  are 
governed  by  Metternich  and  the  Archduke  Louis."  But  the 
emperor — "  The  emperor  is  a  dwarfish  personage  with  a  large 
head  and  a  very  weak  intellect,"  he  muttered,  in  a  low  tone, 
looking  around  to  see  if  any  one  was  near. 

The  Prater  is  an  immense  pleasure-ground  planted  with  trees, 
laid  out  in  drives,  stretching  away  to  the  Danube,  and  constitutes 
the  Hyde  Park  or  Champs  Elysees  of  Vienna.  "  Do  you  see 
those  open  spots  there  1"  said  he  ;  "  those  are  the  places  where 
the  government  provide  shows  and  amusements  for  the  populace 
to  prevent  them  from  thinking  of  politics." 

The  first  reception  of  a  stranger  in  Vienna  is  apt  to  give  him 
an  exaggerated  impression  of  the  arbitrary  and  jealous  charac- 
ter of  the  government.  His  baggage  is  searched  for  seditious 
publications,  and  other  things,  at  the  gates.  Frequently  he  is 
subjected  to  a  very  inquisitive  examination  on  applying  at  the 
police-office  for  the  necessary  written  permission  to  remain  be- 
yond the  first  day  in  the  city.  I  was  questioned  to  give  the 
names  of  the  friends  to  whom  I  had  letters  of  introduction,  the 


Chap.  XXXVIII. ]         LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  229 

business  that  had  brought  me  to  Vienna,  the  time  I  wished  to 
remain,  and  the  studies  and  pursuits  I  intended  to  follow.  In 
fact,  one  is  required,  as  in  some  other  delicate  affairs,  fully  "  to 
declare  his  intentions."  After  this  ordeal  you  are  given  in  ex- 
change for  your  passport  a  paper  allowing  you  to  remain, 
w^hich  you  are  obliged  to  return  and  have  registered  with  every 
change  in  your  residence,  and  which  must  generally  be  renew- 
ed every  month  or  six  weeks.  Some  friend,  too,  perhaps 
quietly  informs  you  that  the  police  keep  a  sort  of  domestic  his- 
tory of  the  doings  of  every  citizen  and  stranger,  and  that  if  you 
talk  politics  freely  in  the  cafes,  you  will  probably  hear  of  it 
again,  and  if  you  are  refractory,  and  very  meddlesome,  you  may 
be  sent  to  the  frontier  under  an  escort.  You  find,  too,  that  the 
censorship  of  the  press  is  very  rigid,  and  many  foreign  journals 
you  have  been  in  the  habit  of  reading  are  often  temporarily  or 
permanently  stopped.  Yet  if  you  are  quiet,  you  have  no  fur- 
ther trouble.  Every  police  functionary  is  very  polite  to  you. 
In  spite  of  these  things,  and  your  preconceived  notions,  the  peo- 
ple seem  wonderfully  happy  and  contented.  The  peasantry 
8eem  the  most  carelessly  joyous  race  in  Europe.  Austria  prop- 
er and  the  Tyrol,  having  been  favored  for  generations,  are  ex- 
ceedingly loyal.  To  every  Austrian  subject  of  good  character, 
from  the  most  distant  province,  is  conceded  the  privilege  of  a 
personal  interview  with  his  sovereign,  for  the  pui'pose  of  re- 
dressing any  grievance  or  asking  a  favor. 

Indeed,  in  spite  of  one's  prejudices,  the  government  seems 
very  paternal.  Perhaps  the  visitor  from  the  North,  who 
has  expected  to  find  a  land  of  despotism  and  darkness,  is 
surprised  to  discover  that  the  common  people  are  the  most 
carefully  educated  of  any  countiy  in  Europe,  except  Prus- 
sia. Public  instruction  has  been  liberally  provided  by  the 
state  at  great  expense  since  the  time  of  Maria  Theresa.  The 
system  comprehends  primary  and  real  schools  {Real  Srhulcn), 
gymnasia,  and  normal  establishments  for  teachers,  and  is  very 


230  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.        [Chap.  XXXVIII. 

similar  to  that  of  Prussia.  Books  and  gratuitous  instruction 
are  carefully  provided  for  the  very  poorest.  No  person  can 
maiTy  or  set  up  in  business  without  a  written  certificate  of  at- 
tendance a  certain  number  of  years  at  school,  and  manufac- 
turers employing  children  are  obliged  to  send  them,  at  stipula- 
ted times,  to  school.  It  is  true  that  the  government,  with  great 
watchfulness,  interferes  with  the  minutest  details  of  education, 
examines  every  school-book,  and  ascertains  that  its  favorite  re- 
ligion and  passive  loyalty  are  carefully  taught ;  yet  Protestants 
and  Greeks  are  allowed  to  have  their  own  state-paid  schools 
when  sufficiently  numerous,  and,  when  a  minority,  in  Catholic 
schools,  their  children  permitted  to  retire  during  the  hours 
when  the  priest  catechises  the  children. 

With  many  such  excellent  domestic  institutions,  it  may  seem 
strange  that  Austria  should  so  jealously  oppose  every  liberal 
movement  in  Italy  and  elsewhere.  Doubtless  her  leading  mo- 
tive is  fear.  She  has  a  numerous  and  jealous  nobility.  With  a 
population  of  some  thirty-three  millions,  or  equal  to  that  of 
France,  she  is  much  weakened  by  being  divided  into  several 
distinct  nations  differing  in  language  and  religion,  some  of 
whom  are  discontented.  Part  of  Galicia  was  recently  in  a 
state  of  dangerous  anarchy;  Hungary,  with  a  tolerable  consti- 
tution, has  lately  obtained  many  reforms  and  has  demanded 
more ;  Bohemia  is  impatiently  asking  for  an  extension  of  her 
liberties ;  the  peasantry  of  the  Tyrol  have  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing a  sort  of  representation,  without  whose  consent  they  can  not 
be  taxed ;  Austrian  Italy  is  seeking  for  a  constitution,  and,  in 
spite  of  marriage  alliances  artfully  cemented  between  the  im- 
perial family  and  almost  every  reigning  house  in  Italy,  and  spite 
of  the  bayonets  on  the  Po  to  overawe  sympathy  and  to  guard 
her  new  possessions,  every  echo  to  the  liberal  opinions  of  the 
new  pope,  and  every  popular  demonstration  in  the  Papal  States, 
Tuscany,  or  Piedmont  are  felt  in  Lombardy,  and  watched  with 
feverish  anxiety  by  Austria.     It  is  not  very  likely  that  she  will 


Chap.  XXXVIII.]       LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  231 

do  more  than  try  to  intimidate  her  liberal  neighbors.  There 
are  too  many  internal  weaknesses,  and  Russia  is  plotting  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Danube.  Austna  is  probably  too  cautious  and 
temporizing  to  risk  an  aggi'essive  war.  The  provinces  nearest 
the  capital,  pacified  by  the  early  reforms  of  the  far-sighted  Jo- 
seph II.,  are  doubtless  contented  and  loyal,  and  capable  of  re- 
sisting invasion,  as  they  were  on  the  fields  of  Aspem  and  Wa- 
gram  ;  but  an  unnecessary  crusade  against  Italian  liberty,  and  the 
head  of  their  religion,  with  the  prospect  of  the  hostile  fleet  of 
some  sympathizing  power  in  the  Adriatic  is  quite  another  mat- 
ter. Much,  however,  must  depend  on  the  moderation  and  cour- 
age of  the  Italians ;  and  with  so  many  slumbering  elements  of 
a  conflagiation  it  is  difficult  to  foretell  the  result.  Yet,  with  all 
her  supposed  influence  in  discouraging  liberal  concessions  in 
Italy,  Switzerland,  and  Prussia,  it  is  pleasing  to  observe  that 
Austria  is  quietly  reforming  at  home,  and  very  recently  the  cus- 
tom has  been  introduced  of  annually  printing,  for  public  inspec- 
tion, a  full  statement  of  all  the  expenses  of  the  government. 

At  the  invitation  of  a  friend,  holding  a  situation  under  the 
government,  I  went  with  him  one  day  to  the  palace,  to  see  the 
emperor  passing  in  state  to  the  Imperial  Chapel.  A  courtly 
crowd  in  military  dresses  and  decorations  were  present.  The 
German,  Hungarian,  and  Italian  body-guards,  in  splendid  em- 
broidered uniforms  of  their  different  countries,  were  drawn  up 
in  two  files,  and  presently,  the  emperor,  in  a  rather  plain  military 
dress,  in  company  with  half  a  dcjzcn  dignitaries,  came  walking 
quietly  through  the  apartments  between  the  files  of  the  guards. 

The  person  of  the  emperor  was  exceedingly  diminutive.  H6 
had  a  good-natured  countenance,  and  a  head  so  large  as  to  ap- 
pear deformed.  With  a  train  of  lady  attendants  followed  the 
empress.  She  was  tall,  stately,  and  ijood-looking,  with  dark 
eyes  and  Italian  features.  I  followed  to  the  chapel  and  listened 
to  some  ex(|uisite  music  and  a  smooth  discourse. 

I  confess  I  was  afterward  agreeably  sui-prised  at  the  quiet. 


232  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.        [Chap.  XXXVIII. 

simple  tastes  of  the  imperial  family  in  some  things.  Walking 
along  the  public  promenade  one  day  near  his  palace,  I  encoun- 
tered the  veteran  Archduke  Charles,  once  the  valiant  opponent 
of  Napoleon,  in  a  plain  dress,  taking  a  morning  walk  all  alone. 
Another  time,  near  the  same  spot,  a  friend  and  I  met  the  em- 
peror, walking  with  a  single  companion,  in  a  rather  common 
blue  overcoat;  and  had  not  my  friend  recognized  and  saluted 
him,  I  should  have  taken  him  to  be  of  the  rank  of  a  respectable 
shopkeeper.  He  bowed  politely  in  return.  A  servant  was  af- 
terward discovered  lingering  at  some  distance  behind. 

Vienna  has  many  interesting  sights.  One  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous of  these  is  her  grand,  old  Gothic  Cathedral  of  St.  Ste- 
phen's. It  is  gloomy,  and  yet  imposing  and  elegant.  I  remem- 
ber stealing  quietly  in  on  Christmas  Eve.  The  grand  ceremo- 
nies had  not  yet  began,  and  the  place  was  but  partially  hghted 
and  filled.  But  the  whispers  of  those  at  the  confessionals — the 
echoed  tread  of  scattered  worshipers — the  group  gathered 
round  a  picture  of  the  Virgin,  with  the  light  of  a  lamp  reflected 
on  their  faces — the  priests  and  attendants  in  their  robes  cross- 
ing themselves,  or  gliding  softly  here  and  there — the  outlines  of 
the  Gothic  arches  and  tracery  of  the  vast  fabric  receding  away 
in  the  dimness  of  night,  produced  a  strange  effect. 

On  a  clear  day  I  mounted  to  the  top  of  its  very  lofty  steeple. 
The  views  of  the  windings  of  the  silvery  Danube — the  island 
of  Lobau,  where  Napoleon  was  once  cooped  up  with  his  army 
— the  storied  fields  of  Aspern  and  Wagram — and  the  romantic 
sunny  hills  that  encompass  Vienna  and  the  vale  of  the  Danube, 
were  veiy  fine.  Half  way  up  the  tower  is  the  fire-watch  of  the 
city;  and  when  a  fire  breaks  out  night  or  day  signals  are  imme- 
diately given  from  this  point.  At  a  lofty  elevation  there  is  a 
stone  seal  with  an  inscription  indicating  that  it  is  the  place  from 
which  the  brave  Governor  of  Vienna,  Count  Staremburg,  used  to 
reconnoitre  the  Turkish  camp  during  their  last  siege,  and  it  was 
from  here,  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  September,  1683,  he  first 


Chap.  XXXVIIL]        LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  233 

saw  the  welcome  advance  of  the  Polish  chivalry  and  the  Christ- 
ian banner  of  John  Sobieski  unfurled  upon  the  Kahlenburg, 

Near  St.  Stephen's  is  the  stump  of  a  tree  said  to  be  the  last 
of  an  ancient  forest,  which  is  carefully  preserved  as  a  city  relic, 
and  is  completely  encased  with  the  heads  of  nails  driven  into  it, 
in  obedience  to  custom,  by  the  apprentices  of  Vienna  upon  set- 
ting out  on  their  travels. 

One  quiet  morning  I  went  with  a  friend  to  the  service  at  the 
Church  of  the  Augustines,  celebrated  for  its  monument  of  the 
Archduchess  Christina,  one  of  the  masterpieces  of  Canova.  It 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  impressive  memorials  of  the 
dead  I  ever  saw.  A  section  of  a  lofty  pyramid  is  placed  against 
the  church  wall,  with  an  opening  to  a  dark  sepulchre  within  ; 
it  is  guarded  by  a  sleeping  lion  and  a  drooping  angel.  As 
if  slowly  and  pensively  mounting  to  the  gloomy  vault,  are  seen 
a  group  of  half  a  dozen  figures  with  the  contrast  of  the  matronly 
form  of  Virtue  bearing  the  ashes  of  the  dead,  supported  by  two 
angelic  girls  with  torches  to  illuminate  the  gi'ave ;  then  comes  a 
beautifully-carved  tottering  old  man  to  weep  over  the  remains 
of  his  benefactress.  He  is  led  by  Benevolence  as  a  female, 
and  followed  by  an  exquisite  little  child  holding  its  hands  and 
bowing  its  head  in  infantine  sorrow. 

But  we  have  not  space  minutely  to  dwell  upon  the  crowd 
of  curiosities  of  the  Austrian  capital.  There  are  the  splendid 
picture  gallery  in  the  Belvidere  Palace,  containing  a  great  many 
choice  things  from  the  Italian  and  Flemish  schools,  and  a  rich 
collection  of  the  works  of  Albert  Durer — the  Ambras  museum 
of  ancient  armor  in  the  lower  part  of  the  palace,  as  a  whole 
the  finest  in  the  world — the  Imperial  and  City  arsenals,  with 
captured  flags  and  trophies,  Turkish  and  Christian, innumerable, 
and  comprising  the  blood-stained  elk-skin  coat  worn  by  Gusta- 
vus  Adolphus  at  his  death  on  the  field  of  Lutzen — the  green 
standard  of  Mahomet  captured  at  tlie  raising  of  the  siege  of 
Vienna — the  arms  of  Marlborough,  John  Sobieski,  and  Scan- 


234  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIX. 

derberg — the  chain  with  which  the  Turks  obstructed  the  Dan- 
ube— the  head  and  shirt  of  the  Vizier  Kara  Mustapha — and  a 
collection  of  firearms  and  deadly  instruments,  ancient  and  mod- 
ern, enough  to  funiish  a  couple  of  armies ;  and  there,  too,  are 
the  Volksgarten,  with  Canova's  celebrated  statue  of  Theseus 
killing  the  Centaurs,  and  the  beautiful  Palace  of  Schonbrunn,  a 
little  way  out  of  the  city,  where  Napoleon  triumphed  and  his 
eon  died. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Crossing  the  Danube— 01  mutz— Lafayette's  Trison — Primitive  Bed— Prague 
— Ziska's  Camp — Memorials  of  Huss — Synagogue — Palace  of  Wallenstein. 

The  Danube  has  been  a  famous  stream  for  crossing  and 
fighting  upon,  from  the  time  of  Trajan  to  Napoleon.  We 
passed,  over  by  steam  on  a  railroad  bridge  at  daybreak ;  and 
the  only  enemy  we  had  to  fight  was  a  terrible  frost,  which 
seemed  as  if  it  would  shrink  us  to  mummies,  and  made  us 
draw  up  our  limbs  like  an  assemblage  of  turtles.  It  froze  our 
very  curiosity.  We  passed  the  battle-field  of  Wagram  with 
scarcely  courage  to  look  out  into  the  penetrating  air.  One 
can  easily  conceive  that  in  the  same  latitude  as  you  go  inland 
toward  Prussia  the  cold  increases.  I  have  tiied  the  winter  of 
some  of  our  most  northern  states  and  Austria,  and  I  give  the 
premium  to  the  frost  of  Vienna.  One  finds  natural  causes  for 
the  habits  of  most  nations.  I  came  latterly  to  consider  it  quite 
proper  that  the  Austrians  should  have  extensive  earthen  stoves, 
and  double  windows,  and  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  elegantly- 
tanned  sheep-skin  overcoats,  with  the  wool  inside. 

We  passed  through  many  little  towns  and  villages  with  hard 
German  names,  and  traversed  a  portion  of  Moravia.     In  the 


Chap.  XXXIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  235 

cultivated  open  country  here  were  more  evidences  of  extensive 
ownership  and  the  effects  of  the  feudal  system  than  in  any  other 
country  yet  visited.  Vast  unfenced  fields  were  often  observed, 
over  which  game  were  frisking,  without  a  human  dwelling  in 
sight.  Here  and  there  was  seen  a  village  of  inferior  little 
houses,  all  of  a  size,  inhabited  probably  by  the  tenants  of  some 
neighboring  nobleman.  Prince  Lichtenstein,  one  of  the  richest 
of  the  Austrian  nobility,  is  said  to  have  an  estate  extending  in 
one  direction  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles. 

The  railway  upon  which  we  were  traveling,  like  all  the  oth- 
ers in  Austria,  belongs  to  the  government.  It  extends  from 
V^ienna  to  Prague,  in  Bohemia,  and  it  is  intended  to  have  a 
branch  completed  to  Austrian  Poland. 

Toward  evening  we  arrived  at  Olmutz.  It  seemed  a  sleepy 
sort  of  place,  full  of  old  houses,  beer-shops,  soldiers,  and  guard- 
ed with  formidable  dikes,  bastions,  and  strong  walls.  The 
Swedes  nor  any  other  enemy  will  hardly  take  it  easily  the  sec- 
ond time.  At  the  time  I  made  numerous  inquiries  about  the 
prison  of  La  Fayette.  At  last  I  was  delighted  to  find  an  old 
man  who,  with  a  rough  Bohemian  accent,  I  imderstood  to  say, 
had  known  the  illustrious  prisoner.  It  was  a  mistake — my  Ger- 
man had  not  yet  come  to  maturity,  and  I  had  misunderstood 
him.  He  was  like  the  man  who,  being  asked  if  he  knew  Ger- 
man, replied,  No — but  he  had  a  cousin  who  played  on  the 
German  flute.  My  friend  had  a  relative  who  knew  La  Fay- 
ette's prison.  Sauntering  among  the  fortifications  about  sun- 
set, I  happened  to  meet  a  couple  of  Austrian  officers,  to 
whom  I  mentioned  the  object  of  my  search,  and  stated  that  I 
was  from  America.  They  politely  refeiTcd  me  to  a  moldering 
bomb-proof  pile  inside  of  a  very  strong  fortress  a  few  rods 
distant.  It  seemed  uninhabited,  and  was  roofed  above  with 
earth.  One  could  easily  conceive  that  in  its  damp,  low  cells, 
the  sufferings  of  the  illustrious  patriot  must  have  been  very 
severe. 


236  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIX. 

To  be  on  the  spot  to  start  by  the  train  at  a  very  early  hour, 
I  removed  in  the  evening  to  a  respectable»looking,  quiet  inn, 
at  the  raih'oad  station,  about  a  mile  out  of  the  city.  Happening 
to  go  down  into  the  traveler's  room  rather  late  in  the  evening, 
I  encountered  a  sight  very  often  to  be  seen  at  the  inns  fre- 
quented by  the  country  people  in  Germany.  Men,  v^^omen,  and 
children,  of  the  poorer  class,  unable  to  pay  for  a  bed  among  the 
aristocracy  above,  were  lying  in  their  clothes  in  groups  upon 
straw  scattered  over  the  floor.  It  was  a  bitter  cold  night,  and 
I  could  not  just  then  smile  at  the  scene,  grotesque  as  it  was,  for 
pity. 

Taking  the  cars  bright  and  early,  we  w^hirled  all  next  day 
through  a  pleasant  country,  and  at  sunset  came  in  sight  of  the 
spires  of  Prague.  We  entered  the  city  by  crossing  the  hill 
where  Ziska,  the  blind  Hussite  chieftain,  led  out  his  valiant 
band  to  a  camp  fortified  by  the  assistance  of  the  women  and 
children  of  Prague,  and  from  which  he  descended,  against  fear- 
ful odds,  to  defeat  the  Emperor  Sigismund,  the  betrayer  of 
Huss.  Except  Edinburgh,  I  saw  no  city  in  Europe  that  ap- 
proached in  the  grandeur  and  romance  of  its  position  to 
Prague. 

It  is  situated  in  a  valley  encompassed  like  an  amphitheatre 
with  bold  eminences,  and  traversed  by  the  River  Moldau  ;  and 
the  numerous  turrets,  domes,  and  spires  that  rise,  tier  above  tier, 
from  the  water's  edge,  give  it  something  like  Eastern  splen- 
dor. Loftier  than  all  the  rest,  and  looking  boldly  over  the  city 
from  the  brink  of  a  precipitous  hill,  towers  the  ancient  palace 
of  the  Bohemian  kings,  the  Hradschin.  It  is  larger  than  the 
Imperial  Palace  at  Vienna.  My  first  impulse  upon  gazing  at 
it  from  the  other  side  of  the  town  was  to  climb  up  the  hill 
where  it  stood.  To  do  this  I  had  to  cross  the  magnificent  old 
bridge  over  the  Moldau,  upon  which  stands  the  famous  statue  of 
St.  John  of  Nepomuk.  The  saint,  as  the  story  goes,  was  con- 
fessor to  the  queen  aud  having  refused  to  divulge  the  secrets 


Chap.  XXXIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  237 

confided  to  liim  was  secretly  drowned  by  being  thrown  from 
the  bridge  into  the  river.  A  miraculous  light,  however,  reveal- 
ed the  situation  of  the  body  to  the  people,  and  it  was  removed, 
and,  in  later  times,  transferred  to  a  silver  coffin  in  the  cathedral. 
The  latter  edifice  is  upon  the  same  hill,  and  close  to  the  palace, 
and  derives  its  chief  interest  from  the  immensely  rich  shrine  of 
this  most  popular  saint.  I  never  saw  such  a  profusion  of  pre- 
cious metal  as  is  contained  in  the  several  good-sized  statues  of 
angels  and  other  ornaments  about  the  tomb.  They  are  said  to 
contain  hi  all  the  incredible  amount  of  nearly  two  tons  of  silver. 
And  this  forms  only  part  of  the  treasures  of  a  shrine  now,  perhaps, 
the  richest  in  the  world.  More  than  eighty  thousand  pilgrims 
at  a  time  have  been  known  to  gather  from  the  surrounding 
countries  within  late  years,  to  celebrate  the  gi-eat  festival  of  the 
saint  in  May.  The  walls  of  the  cathedral  must  have  been  orig- 
inally of  great  strength,  as  it  is  said  that  during  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  city  by  Frederic  the  Great,  in  the  Seven  Years' 
War,  it  served  as  a  mark  for  his  cannon,  and  received  more 
than  a  thousand  balls. 

Near  the  palace,  also,  once  resided  the  Danish  philoso- 
pher, Tycho  Brahe,  who  was  astronomer  royal  to  the  munifi- 
cent Rudolph  II.  Beneath  the  palace  walls  are  two  obe- 
lisks, marking  the  spot  where  the  cruel  ministers,  who  coun- 
seled the  persecution  of  the  Bohemian  Protestants,  in  a  tu- 
mult, were  thrown  from  a  window  at  tlie  height  of  some 
eighty  feet,  and  preserved  by  a  duntjhill ;  and  thus,  in  a  slight 
affi-ay,  began  the  conflict  which  ended  in  the  terrible  Thirty 
Years'  War. 

Few  things  interested  me  so  much  in  Prague  as  its  univer- 
sity, distinguished  as  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  Euro})e  and  as 
the  scene  of  the  labors  of  John  IIuss  and  Jerome  of  Prague. 
In  the  height  of  its  glory  it  is  said  to  luive  been  frequented  by 
the  almost  incredible  number  of  forty  thousand  students  of  sev- 
eral different  nations,  and  some  regulations  affecting  the  privi- 


238  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIX. 

leires  of  the  foreio^ners  within  its  walls,  were  the  means  of  driv- 
ing  away  some  thirty  thousand  pupils  in  a  single  week,  and 
founding  tlie  universities  of  Leipsic,  Heidelberg,  and  Cracow. 
It  was  through  some  of  the  Englishmen  frequenting  the  univer- 
sity that  Huss  is  supposed  to  have  become  acquainted  with  the 
doctrines  of  WickUffe. 

One  of  the  students,  seeing  I  was  a  stranger,  politely  showed 
me  into  the  library.  It  was  crowded  with  busy,  silent  readers, 
and  a  librarian,  with  a  bunch  of  keys  and  a  black  gown,  beck- 
oned me  to  explore  with  him  its  rich  treasures.  There  was  one 
of  the  first  Bibles  ever  printed ;  and  there  were  the  celebrated 
theses  of  John  Huss  in  his  own  handwriting.  But  the  most 
interesting  relic  of  all,  was  a  manuscript  Hussite  liturgy  discov- 
ered, as  the  librarian  told  me,  in  destroying  one  of  their  ancient 
places  of  worship.  It  was  found  to  have  been  executed  at  the 
cost  of  the  different  trade-companies  of  the  city,  and  was  beau- 
tifully illuminated  with  paintings,  the  subjects  of  which  were 
taken  mostly  from  the  Bible  and  the  life  of  Huss.  One  series 
of  these  illustrations  was  very  remarkable.  It  consisted  of  three 
small  pictures  on  the  margin  of  the  same  page,  representing  the 
progress  of  the  Reformation.  The  first  represented  Wickliffe, 
striking  a  spark  with  flint  and  steel ;  the  second  Huss,  blowing 
a  little  kindling  fire  ;  and  the  third  Luther,  holding  up  a  blazing 
torch.  Beneath  was  a  picture  of  Huss  intrepidly  looking  up 
in  the  agonies  of  death  amid  the  flames  and  surrounded  by 
fierce-looking  persecutors  at  Constance. 

One  afternoon  I  took  a  stroll  into  the  Jews'  quarter,  known, 
in  the  expressive  German,  as  the  Judenstadi.  It  is  one  of  their 
oldest  colonies  in  Europe,  and  the  persecutions  and  massacres 
of  earlier  times,  and  hereditary  prejudices  at  the  present,  have 
helped  keep  them  a  distinct  people.  They  are  now  no  longer 
locked  up  in  their  own  streets  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  they  are  even  allowed  their  own  schools  and  magistrates. 
As  in  every  Jews'  quarter,  there  are  the  same  intelligent,  hard 


Chap.  XXXIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE  239 

faces,  and  there  are  the  same  streets  of  old  clothes  and  small- 
wares,  and  now  and  then,  as  you  saunter  carelessly  along,  you 
are  perhaps  half  startled  at  seeing,  leanmg  archly  over  some 
little  counter,  the  beautiful  form  of  some  bright  eyed  and  dark- 
haired  Naomi  or  Rebecca.  The  Jews  of  Prague  boast  of 
the  most  ancient  synagogue  in  Europe,  it  having  stood,  as  they 
allege,  a  thousand  years.  After  a  diligent  search  for  the  sex- 
ton, I  gained  admission  to  the  most  curious,  dark,  and  dingy 
place  of  worship  I  ever  beheld.  The  windows  were  exceed- 
ingly small ;  there  was  some  religious  scruple  against  any  kind 
of  cleansing,  and  the  walls  and  high  roof  were  blackened  by 
time  and  the  smoke  of  the  lamps  and  torches  that  for  days 
together  are  sometimes  burning  during  their  more  solemn  ser- 
vices. There  were  the  curiously-wrought  lamps  and  furniture 
exhibiting  the  mysterious  number  seven,  and  reminding  one  of 
the  descriptions  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  in  the  place  of  the 
altar  of  a  church  was  a  sacred  inclosure  for  the  holy  books  of 
the  law.  Separated  from  the  body  of  the  synagogue,  and  com- 
municating with  it  only  by  apertures  through  the  wall  about 
the  size  of  an  ordinary  pane  of  glass,  was  the  apartment  to 
which  the  females  only  were  admitted. 

Not  far  away  was  their  spacious  ancient  burial-ground.  I 
wandered  a  while  in  this  lonely  place,  brushed  away  the  snow 
from  some  of  the  little  heaps  of  stones,  brought  one  by  one  as 
tributes  to  departed  friends,  and  gazed  vacantly  on  the  curious 
symbols  and  the  Hebrew  characters  engraved  on  vveatherbeat- 
cn,  crumbling  gravestones.  It  is  crowded  to  its  utmost  capac- 
ity. More  than  a  century  has  elapsed  since  the  last  interment. 
The  talkative  guide  explained  the  epitaphs  on  some,  pointed 
out  the  more  imposing  monuments  of  tlieir  dignitaries  and  rab- 
bis, and,  with  somcthin-^  of  a  look  of  pride,  as  I  thought,  show- 
ed me  the  grave  of  a  Jewess  who,  by  some  freak  of  Fortune, 
had  manied  a  prince,  and  had  preferred  in  death  to  sleep  with 
her  people. 


240  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XXXIX. 

There  is  a  deserted  old  palace  in  Prague  that  with  many  a 
visitor  kindles  more  thrilling  memories  than  any  other.  And 
why  is  this  so  ?  He  has  seen  splendid  halls  as  lonely,  and 
stately  marble  as  defaced,  not  far  away.  It  is  a  link  to  an  ideal 
world  created  by  the  genius  of  Schiller.  He  is  told  it  is  the 
palace  of  Wallenstein,  duke  of  Friedland,  the  master-hero  of 
the  great  poet  and  generalissimo  of  the  imperial  forces  in  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.  A  hundred  houses  were  demolished  and 
a  spacious  fabric  rose.  Here,  in  the  possession  of  a  revenue 
of  millions,  his  insatiable  and  proud  spirit,  after  his  first  dis- 
gi'ace,  amused  itself  with  pomp  and  splendor  like  a  king.  Beau- 
tiful coursers  fed  from  marble  cribs,  saloons  garnished  with 
choice  paintings,  pages  of  noble  blood  crowding  round  him,  and 
an  imposing  body-guard  were  the  toys  with  which,  in  brooding 
over  his  injury,  he  pretended  to  be  engrossed.  As  he  probably 
had  foreseen,  the  armies  of  his  ungrateful  master  had  been  driven 
back,  and  the  emperor  had  begun  to  tremble  in  his  capital  at 
the  victories  of  the  Protestant  confederates.  "  Fate  itself  had 
been  the  Avenger"  of  the  disgraced  general ;  and  the  monarch 
was  forced  to  come  as  a  suppliant  to  his  most  dreaded  sub- 
ject. 

One  can  scarcely  travel  in  Germany  without  being  forced,  as 
it  were,  to  read  Schiller;  and  places  otherwise  insignificant  ac- 
quire strange  interest  from  the  witchery  of  poetry.  The  sight 
of  Wallenstein's  palace  is  enough  to  revive  a  whole  drama. 
You  think  of  the  masterly  picture  of  the  struggle  in  that  quak- 
ing breast  of  pride,  revenge,  and  consuming  ambition — the  fear- 
ful conflict  that  terminates  in — 

"  'Tis  decided ! 
'Tis  well !     I  have  received  a  sudden  cure 
From  all  the  pangs  of  doubt.     With  steady  stream 
Once  more  my  lifeblood  flows !  my  soul's  secured ! 
In  the  night  only  Fx'iedland's  stars  can  beam. 
Lingering  irresolute,  with  fitful  fears, 


Chap.  XXXIX.]  LOITERINGS  LN  EUROPE.  241 

I  Jievv  llie  sword.     'Twas  with  an  inward  strife 
While  yet  the  choice  was  mine.     The  murderous  knife 
Is  lifted  to  uiy-heart !     Doubt  disappears  ! 
I  fight  now  for  my  head  and  for  my  life !" 

In  fancy  you  dream  over  the  agony  of  the  mighty  chief  at  Eger 
as  friend  after  friend  deserts  him  and  goes  over  to  the  base  em- 
peror w^hom  he  has  twice  saved,  and  who  is  now  hiring  assas- 
sins to  murder  him,  and,  as  stung  at  the  aggravated  treachery 
of  the  elder  Piccolomini,  he  exclaims  : 

"  The  adder !     O  the  chaiTns  of  hell  o'erpowered  me. 
He  dwelt  within  me ;  to  my  inmost  soul 
Still  to  and  fro  he  passed,  suspected  never. 
On  the  wide  ocean,  in  the  starry  heaven, 
Did  mine  eyes  seek  tlie  enemy  whom  I 
In  my  heart's  heart  had  folded !" 

You  imagine  again  the  tender  last  partings — the  apparition 
of  the  astrologer — the  mutterings  and  falterings  of  the  con- 
spirators—  and  all  the  feaiful  accompaniments  of  the  murder 
scene. 

L 


242  LOITERTNGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XL. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

A  Sleigh-Ride  —  Culm — Saxony — Dx-esden — Gallery — Green  Vaults — King 
and  Queen — Leipsic — Poniatowski's  Tomb — Society  of  Gustavus  Adolphus 
— Lutzen. 

There  are  surely  fire  and  poetry  in  a  sleigh-ride.  How 
joyous  to  fly  over  snow-fields,  behind  bounding  steeds,  to  the 
chime  of  merry  bells  !  It  was  bliss  unexpected  thus  to  cele- 
brate the  last  of  winter  in  the  vale  of  the  Elbe.  There  is  a 
beautiful  song  of  one  from  a  southern  clime,  who,  after  exile  in 
the  north,  welcomed  passionately  the  sight  of  a  solitary  palm- 
tree  ;  and  I  confess  there  came  thoughts  of  a  far  away  home  as 
we  left  wheels  behind  and  glided  cheerily  out  of  Prague,  on  our 
snow-path  northward.  I  dreamed  of  youthful  revels  with  the 
frosty  wind  on  the  banks  of  the  Ontario.  But  a  good  deal  of  the 
romance  oozed  away  as  at  midnight  we  found  ourselves  unable 
to  cross  the  river,  and  were  forced  to  huddle  into  a  little  post- 
inn,  and  wait  till  daylight.  After  consuming  a  quantity  of  cof- 
fee, and  beer,  and  solids  in  proportion,  we  sought  repose. 
"  Beds  or  straw,  Meine  Merren^''  demanded  our  host  in  thick 
German ;  and  a  respectable  minority  started  up  stairs,  and  the 
majority,  too  indolent  to  undress,  drew  more  closely  their 
tanned  sheep-skin  greatcoats  and  took  to  straw  and  the  flioor 
with  our  fat  and  venerable  postillion. 

Next  day  we  passed  through  a  fertile  country,  and  the  low, 
interminable  fortress  of  Theresienstadt,  at  the  junction  of  the 
Eger  with  the  Elbe,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  dined  at  Toplitz, 
the  celebrated  watering-place.  It  is  now  the  most  fashionable 
in  all  Germany,  being  frequently  visited  by  crowned  heads  and 
princes.  The  baths  are  supplied  from  seventeen  hot  springs. 
As  in  many  of  the  towns  in  Germany,  instead  of  being  distin- 


Chap.  XL.]  LOITERTNGS  IN  EUROPE.  243 

guished  by  numbers,  the  houses  have  some  dedication,  indi- 
cated by  a  sign;  and,  to  furnish  a  sufficient  variety,  the  names 
of  the  reigning  sovereigns,  the  different  cities  of  Europe,  ancient 
mythology,  and  nearly  every  class  of  earthly  objects  are  ran- 
sacked. The  scenery  about  Toplitz  can  not  compare  in  beauty 
with  that  of  Baden-Baden. 

The  pass  of  Nollendorf  forms  one  of  the  outlets  of  Bohemia, 
and  we  traversed  the  famous  battle-field  of  Culm  in  going  from 
Toplitz  to  Dresden.  It  is  in  a  valley  shaped  like  a  triangle, 
forminof  a  sort  of  dent  in  the  mountain  rid  see  that  stretches 
along  on  either  side,  having  the  pass  at  the  apex.  Here,  in 
the  campaign  of  1813,  it  will  be  remembered,  Vandamme  was 
dispatched  by  Napoleon  with  a  force  of  40,000  men  to  occupy 
the  heights,  and  close  the  pass,  but  with  stiict  orders  not  to 
descend  into  the  inclosed  valley  beyond.  Only  8000  Russians 
were  posted  there;  and  the  French  general  canned  away  by 
too  much  ardor,  ventured  to  disobey  orders  and  attack  them. 
Osterman  and  his  Russians  repelled  charge  after  charge  and 
fought  like  lions  against  five  times  their  force  for  hours.  At 
last,  Colloredo  came  up  with  an  Austrian  re-inforcement  from 
the  Russian  rear,  the  Prussians,  under  Kleist,  retreating  from 
Dresden,  came  down  the  pass  in  the  opposite  direction,  and 
the  French,  completely  hemmed  in  by  mountains,  on  either 
iiand,  and  an  army  in  front  and  rear,  were  caught  in  the  trap, 
and  their  commander  and  nearly  the  whole  force  were  taken 
prisoners.  We  passed  close  to  the  three  beautiful  monuments 
erected  severally  by  the  Russian,  Austrian,  and  Prussian  author- 
ities to  commemorate  the  victory. 

We  were  nearly  an  hour  toiling  up  the  pass;  but  the  mag- 
nificent view  from  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  fruitful  plains, 
woods,  and  winding  streams,  stretching  away  in  the  rear,  am- 
ply repaid  the  labor.  At  a  village,  just  beyond  the  Saxon 
frontier,  my  baggac^e  was  examined  for  the  last  time  on  the 
Continent.     Saxony  belongs  to  the  Zollvcrein,  or  great  custom 


244  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XL. 

league  which,  with  the  exception  of  some  petty  inclosed  ter- 
ritories, now  extends  from  the  Austrian  frontier  to  the  sea. 
Night  came  on,  and  we  lost  the  romantic  views  of  Saxon  Swit- 
zerland on  our  way,  and,  at  a  late  hour,  came  gingling  into 
Dresden.  The  Saxon  capital  has  been  poetically  called  the 
German  Florence.  The  Elbe  is  its  Amo ;  its  environs  are 
lovely  ;  the  climate  is  temperate ;  expenses  are  moderate ;  its 
German  is  pure  and  musical ;  the  government  is  liberal ;  its 
amusements  are  choice  and  abundant,  and  its  museums  and 
picture  gallery  are  the  richest  in  Germany.  Indeed,  when  the 
chances  of  war  threw  the  last  into  the  hands  of  Frederic  the 
Great  and  Napoleon,  they  both  hesitated  to  pillage  its  treasures. 
Perhaps  it  was  from  a  little  taste  acquired  too  late  ;  but  I  saw 
nothing  of  the  kind  north  of  the  Alps  that  gave  me  so  much 
pleasure.  It  contains  a  profusion  of  beauties  from  the  Flemish 
and  Italian  schools.  Your  attention  is  particularly  riveted  first, 
perhaps,  on  Holbein's  masterpiece,  the  Family  of  the  Burgo- 
master of  Basle  adoring  the  Virgin.  After  wandering  for  a 
while  through  one  apartment  after  another  lined  w^th  exquisite 
things,  till  you  are  half  bewildered,  you  come  at  last  to  the 
most  precious  gems  of  the  collection,  the  Madonna  San  Sisto 
of  Raphael,  and  La  Notte  by  Correggio.  The  former,  in  Ra- 
phael's best  style,  represents  the  Virgin  clad  in  unearthly  beau- 
ty, caught  up  to  heaven,  while  beneath  her  feet,  gazing  upward, 
are  the  faultless  figures  of  a  fine  old  man,  a  lovely  female,  and 
two  cherub  children.  The  latter  depicts  the  scene  of  the  infant 
Savior  in  the  manger  by  night ;  the  shepherds  gather,  wonder- 
ing ;  a  divine  radiance,  like  phosphorescent  light,  is  reflected 
from  the  child  so  brightly,  that  a  female  in  the  gi'oup  starts 
back,  with  her  hand  shading  her  forehead,  while  the  beautiful 
mother,  in  the  fullness  of  her  love,  gazes  undazzled.  In  spite 
of  the  injuries  from  cleaning,  as  you  stand  at  a  little  distance 
so  as  to  get  the  general  effect,  the  wonderful  management  of 
light  and  shade,  and  the  natural  and  happy  grouping,  make 


Chap.  XL.]  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROPE.  245 

you  feel  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  impressive  pictures  you  have 
ever  seen. 

Before  the  discovery  of  America  the  silver  mines  of  Frey- 
berg  made  the  Saxon  princes,  at  one  time,  the  lichest  sover- 
eigns of  Europe,  and  they  expended  a  large  amount  of  the 
wealth  in  the  accumulation  of  rare  and  valuable  curiosities. 
These,  in  time  of  war,  were  preserved  in  the  impregnable  for- 
tress of  Konigstein,  in  Saxon  Switzerland — almost  the  only 
fortress  in  Europe  never  yet  captured. 

Tlie  most  remarkable  of  these  collections,  and,  indeed,  the 
first  in  the  world  of  the  kind,  is  contained  in  the  celebrated 
Green  Vaults,  a  series  consisting  of  eight  well-guarded  apart- 
ments in  the  basement  of  one  part  of  the  palace  They  are 
filled  with  a  gorgeous  collection  of  gold  and  silver  utensils,  ex- 
quisite casts,  works  in  ivory,  curiously  intricate  toys  of  precious 
material,  costly  models,  and  a  profusion  of  diamonds,  pearls,  and 
gems  of  every  kind — enough  to  remind  one  of  a  scene  in  the 
Arabian  Nights.  The  model  of  the  Court  of  the  Great  Mogul, 
of  enameled  gold,  by  Dinglinger,  cost  eight  years'  labor,  and 
more  than  fifty  thousand  dollars;  and  a  single  diamond  neck- 
lace, lying  amid  several  others,  was  said  by  the  guide  to  be 
worth  a  million. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  John  Frederic,  elector  of  Sax- 
ony, was  the  most  powerful  friend  of  Luther  and  the  Refor- 
mation. One  of  his  successors,  Augustus  II.,  yielded  to  the 
temptation  of  changing  his  religion,  as  the  price  of  the  crown 
of  Poland,  and  since  that  time  the  reigning  family  have  been 
Catholics,  though  their  Saxon  subjects  have  been  Lutherans. 
The  court  church  is  a  showy  edifice  on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe, 
and  communicating  with  the  palace  by  a  covered  galleiy.  Its 
music  is  celebrated  all  over  Ciermany.  On  going  here  one 
beautiful  morning,  I  noticed  tlie  royal  ]ievv  in  the  gallery  oc- 
cupied by  a  stout,  middle-nt^t'd  man,  with  a  German  face, 
dressed  in  a  plain  brown  cloak,  and  a  matronly-looking  lady 


246  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XL. 

by  his  side.  I  was  afterward  told  that  they  were  the  king  and 
queen. 

The  King  of  Saxony  was  one  of  those  German  princes  who 
kept  their  word  and  gave  their  subjects  a  constitution.  Since 
1830,  the  debates  of  both  Houses  of  the  Saxon  ParHament  have 
been  open  to  the  public.  I  made  arrangements  to  hear  them 
the  last  day  of  my  stay  in  the  city,  but,  on  going  to  the  place, 
from  some  unexpected  cause,  there  was  a  recess. 

On  one  side  of  Dresden  there  is  a  circular  rise  of  ground 
for  more  than  a  mile  gradually  ascending  from  the  city.  This 
was  the  position  of  the  allies  in  the  memorable  battle  in  1813, 
and  the  French  occupied  the  town.  On  asking  the  way,  from 
some  one  passing,  to  the  spot  where  Moreau  fell,  I  was  point- 
ed to  a  clump  of  trees  at  the  summit,  a  mile  distant,  A  mon- 
ument over  part  of  his  remains  in  the  place  where  his  body 
was  severed  by  the  fatal  cannon-shot,  bears  the  inscription, 
"  Moreau  the  Hero  fell  here  by  the  side  of  Alexander,  27th 
August,  1813."  I  had  to  break  the  path  some  distance  through 
deep  snow,  and  I  found  the  place  unmarked  by  footsteps.  It 
was  an  eloquent  comment  on  human  glory. 

After  amusing  myself  by  watching  the  crowds  of  happy- 
faced  Germans  strolling  along  the  beautiful  terraced  walk  in 
front  of  the  Bruhl  Palace,  and  mingling  with  the  spectators 
in  the  joyous  freaks  on  the  ice  of  the  Elbe,  I  hurriedly  crossed 
the  bridge  leading  from  the  old  to  the  new  town,  one  after- 
noon, flew  by  railroad  over  an  undulatory,  fertile  country,  and, 
in  three  or  four  hours,  was  hunting  a  hotel  in  the  streets  of 
Leipsic. 

Except  during  one  of  its  three  great  fairs,  when  it  is  crowded 
with  trading  representatives  from  all  Europe,  it  is  rather  quiet, 
or,  as  some  would  say,  a  dull  town,  and  the  visitor  soon  dis- 
poses of  its  few  sights.  It  is  the  great  centre  of  the  book  trade 
for  all  Germany.  Six  hundred  booksellers,  from  every  part 
of  the  country,  sometimes  assemble  here.     I  went  into  one  of 


Chaf.  XL.]  LOITERIN'GS  IN  EUROFE.  247 

these  establishments  to  make  a  few  purchases,  when  it  hap- 
pened to  be  necessary  to  refer  to  one  of  their  publishing  cata- 
logues, and  the  number  of  works  issued  was  really  enormous. 
A  little  out  of  Leipsic  is  the  battle-field  where  Gustavus  Adol- 
phus  utterly  defeated  the  ferocious  Tilly, 

On  ascending  the  observatory  near  the  city  wall,  the  keeper 
gave  me  a  plan,  and  pointed  out  the  localities  of  the  great  battle 
which  ended  in  the  disastrous  defeat  of  Napoleon.  The  town 
is  in  the  centre  of  a  level  plain.  After  three  days  of  desperate 
fighting,  in  wliicb  some  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  men, 
of  several  different  nations,  were  engaged,  the  allies  encircled 
the  city  and  the  French  as  their  prey ;  and  the  latter  only  made 
good  their  retreat  through  the  heroic  bravery  of  Poniatowski 
and  Macdonald,  in  defending  the  rear,  and  the  premature  blow- 
ing up  of  the  bridge  over  the  Elster,  by  which  they  and  twenty- 
five  thousand  French  were  surrounded  and  cut  off  from  their 
friends.  The  gallant  Polish  general,  already  twice  wounded 
and  faint  with  the  loss  of  blood,  attempting  to  swim  his  jaded 
horse  across  the  narrow  stream,  got  entangled  amid  the  dead 
and  dying  that  choked  the  liver,  and  was  drowned.  A  simple 
monument  was  erected  on  the  bank  by  the  PoHsh  soldiers  to 
their  brave  commander  on  the  spot  after  the  battle.  In  search- 
ing for  this,  I  was  forced  to  inquire  my  way  from  a  gentle- 
manly-looking person  in  the  street.  He  afforded  a  liappy 
example  of  unaffected  generous  kindness  extended  to  perfect 
strangers  in  Germany.  In  spite  of  my  remonstrances,  he  insisted 
on  giving  himself  the  trouble  of  going  with  me  to  Poniatowski's 
tomb,  and  afterward  showed  me  many  curiosities  in  his  ware- 
house in  the  city,  and  finally  introduced  me  to  a  brother  of  my 
own  profession  who  invited  me  to  dinner,  showed  me  through 
the  famous  university  and  other  institutions,  and  gave  me  so 
many  introductions,  without  any  endorsement  but  the  ordinary 
civilities  of  a  stranger,  that,  in  a  few  hours,  I  had  a  delightful 
circle  of  acquaintances. 


«}48  liOlTERlNGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XL. 

Happening  to  have  occasion  to  call  upon  one  of  the  profes- 
sors, I  was  pleasantly  detained  with  the  history  of  the  formation 
of  one  of  the  most  useful  missionary  societies  now  in  Germany. 
More  than  two  centuries  had  elapsed  since,  when  all  seemed 
lost,  the  Chiistian  hero,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  landed  on  the 
shore  of  the  Baltic,  and  knelt  on  the  sand  in  sight  of  his  army 
to  pray  for  Heaven's  blessing  on  their  efforts  to  deliver  desolate 
Protestant  Germany.  No  memorials  remained  of  him  but  the 
names  of  his  victories — and  the  initials  carved  on  the  solitary 
?ock  by  which  he  fell  on  the  field  of  Lutzen.  The  "  Stone  of  the 
Swede"  had  been  indeed  immortalized  in  story  and  song,  and 
risited  annually  in  procession  by  the  children  of  those  whose 
liberties  and  faith  he  had  died  in  defending ;  but,  at  the  return 
of  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  this  dearly-bought  victory, 
in  1832,  they  wished  to  do  more.  Thousands  assembled  on 
that  lonely  plain  to  erect  a  beautiful  structure  over  the  "  great 
stone"  itself,  and  a  voice  in  the  crowd — it  came  from  the  ven- 
erable professor  himself- — said  "  Let  us  erect  a  spiritual  monu- 
ment— let  us  found  an  institution  to  be  called  after  his  name, 
to  aid  the  descendants  of  those  he  fought  to  rescue,  now  in 
Catholic  countries" — and  the  result  was  the  formation  of  the 
"  Society  of  Gustavus  Adolphus."  Many  thousand  dollars  have 
since  been  raised  annually  by  its  means  in  the  north  of  Geimany 
and  Sweden,  to  send  teachers  and  pastors  to  the  poorer  Protes- 
tant flocks  in  Hungary,  Bohemia,  and  Catholic  Germany.  Ber- 
nadotte,  king  of  Sweden,  became  one  of  its  patrons.  I  was  so 
stirred  by  the  good  man's  story,  that,  at  his  suggestion,  I  set  off 
instantly  for  Lutzen,  and  being  unable  in  my  haste  to  find  a  con- 
veyance, I  managed  to  get  over  the  fifteen  miles  of  solitary 
road  in  a  few  hours  on  foot,  and  arrived  at  the  "  Swede's  Stone" 
late  in  the  afternoon.  The  rock  itself,  at  the  period  mentioned, 
was  covered  with  a  beautiful  cast-iron  canopy.  It  is  one  of 
those  granite  boulders  brought  by  some  mysterious  agency  from 
the  mountains  of  Scandinavia,  and  scattered  over  the  immense 


Chap.  XLI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  2 19 

plain  south  of  the  Baltic.  The  field  is  nearly  a  dead  level.  It 
will  be  remembered,  the  battle  was  one  of  the  most  obstinately- 
contested  in  history.  Wallenstein  escaped  by  a  miracle,  amid 
showers  of  balls  ;  Count  Piccolomini  had  seven  horses  killed 
under  him,  and  was  borne  off  desperately  wounded  ;  the  brave 
Pappenheim  was  killed  in  the  hottest  conflict,  and  the  Swedish 
king  fell  pierced  by  two  balls ;  and  lying  on  the  field  were  two 
entire  regiments  in  yellow  and  blue  uniforms,  who  marked  in 
death  the  order  in  which  they  were  posted.  The  cavalry 
fought  long  for  the  corpse  of  their  idolized  monarch,  and  at 
last  can'ied  it  off  in  triumph.  Darkness  parted  the  combat- 
ants, and  the  only  trophies  with  which  the  Protestants  could 
console  themselves  for  the  loss  of  their  commander  were  the 
field  and  the  cannon  of  the  broken  enemy. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

AfTuIr    of   the    Heart — Halle — Theological    Lecture— Magdeburg — Wit  ten- 
burg — Gerraau  Mauners — Lutlier's  Grave — His  faruisbed  Sitting-Room. 

Possibly  I  owed  my  own  peaceable  escape  from  the  battle- 
field of  Lutzen  to  the  principle  that  the  least  kindness  to  others 
commonly  begets  kindness.  There  were  scarcely  more  than 
half  a  dozen  houses  near  the  road  all  the  way  from  Leipsic,  and 
I  stopped  at  the  only  dwelling  near  the  monument  to  get  some 
refreshment.  I  happen  to  be  a  great  admirer  of  those  inno- 
cent creatures  that  painters  convert  into  angels  by  adding 
wings,  or,  in  other  words,  of  pretty  children.  The  Germans, 
like  the  French,  change  their  style  of  address  in  speaking  to 
children,  or  very  near  relatives,  to  the  second  person  singular, 
corresponding  to  the  Quaker  form  ;  and,  while  waiting  for  what 

L* 


250  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XLL 

I  had  ordered,  I  amused  myself,  as  a  learner,  in  trying  to  con- 
jugate in  this  way  a  few  amiable  verbs,  and  speculating  in  the 
affections  of  a  sweet  girl,  of  four  or  five  years  of  age,  by  means 
of  small  coin.  She  coyly  fluttered  around  me  a  while,  and  then 
was  fondly  mine.  Looking  up,  I  saw  the  busy  mother's  eye 
kindle,  and  at  length  she  brought  me  an  additional  supply  of 
good  things  for  which  I  had  not  bargained,  and  for  which  she 
promptly  refused  payment.  Presently,  the  host  and  hostess 
called  me  aside,  and  muttered  in  a  low  tone  that  the  men 
drinking  in  an  adjoining  apartment,  who  had  eyed  me  so 
searchingly,  were  bad  people,  and  gave  me  to  understand,  that 
if  I  wished  to  reach  Leipsic  that  night,  I  had  better  set  off  be- 
fore it  grew  dark  and  keep  a  look-out  as  I  might  possibly  be 
waylaid.  I  coolly  showed  them  the  end  of  a  noisy  weapon  in 
my  pocket,  carried  to  frighten  traveling  visitors,  and  requested 
them  to  report  the  matter  to  their  guests,  and  hint  that  I  was 
not  amiable  on  the  road.  One  of  them  followed  distantly  in 
the  rear,  some  time  after  dark,  and  then  vanished.  I  found 
exceptions  to  the  rule  of  perfect  honesty  so  very  rare  in  the 
interior  of  Germany,  that  with  such  slight  evidence  I  was,  after 
all,  inclined  to  believe  my  friends  mistaken  in  their  suspicions. 
Returning  to  Leipsic,  next  day  I  whirled,  in  an  hour  or  two 
by  railroad,  across  the  frontier  of  Prussia  to  Halle.  To  punish 
the  Saxons  for  adhering  so  long  to  Napoleon,  the  Congress  of 
Vienna  gave  a  large  slice  of  their  former  possessions  to  Prussia. 
I  had  previously  met  one  of  the  professors  of  the  University  of 
Halle,  and  being  directed  to  find  him  there,  I  seated  myself 
quietly  in  the  rear  of  his  class  in  the  lecture-room.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  Hebrew  scholars  of  the  a^e.  It  was  a  theolo^i' 
cal  lesson ;  a  large  room  full  of  students,  seated  behind  desks, 
with  Bibles  and  paper  before  them,  were  rapidly  taking  notes, 
and  attending  closely  to  the  professor's  reading  of  the  original. 
Subsequently  I  was  present  in  his  library  by  invitation,  at  the 
hour  set  apart  by  this  woithy  teacher  for  friendly  conversation 


Chap.  XLI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  251 

with  his  pupils,  and  there  was  something  touching  in  their  free, 
affectionate  intercourse.  The  pleasure  was  only  equaled  by 
that  of  a  deUghtful  evening  in  the  professor's  family. 

Over  the  same  monotonous,  fruitful  plain,  I  took  a  turn  west- 
ward, by  railway,  to  INIagdeburg.  There  was  nothing  to  in- 
terest me  about  that  level  fortress-town  but  one  fearful  chaptei 
in  its  story.  Yet,  when  the  chance  offered,  I  could  not  resisl 
a  morbid  desire  to  visit  the  ground  on  which  the  tragedy  was 
acted,  the  account  of  which,  in  earlier  days,  had  caused  so 
deep  a  shudder.  Perhaps  even  those  to  whom  they  may  be 
familiar  will  excuse  a  few  passages  descriptive  of  the  last 
scenes  of  the  memorable  siege  from  the  "  Thirty  Years'  AVai" 
of  Schiller. 

**Here  commenced  a  scene  of  horrors  for  which  history  has 
no  language — poetry  no  pencil.  Neither  innocent  childhood 
nor  helpless  old  age  ;  neither  youth,  sex,  rank,  nor  beauty  could 
disarm  the  fury  of  the  conquerors.  "Wives  were  abused  in  the 
arms  of  their  husbands,  daughters  at  the  feet  of  their  parents. 
No  situation,  however  obscure  or  however  sacred,  escaped  the 
rapacity  of  the  enemy.  In  a  single  church  fifty-three  women 
were  found  beheaded.  The  Croats  amused  themselves  with 
throwing  children  into  the  flames;  Pappenheim's  Walloons 
with  stabbing  infants  at  the  mother's  breast.  These  horrors 
lasted  with  unabated  fury  till  at  last  the  smoke  and  flames 
proved  a  check  to  the  plunderers.  To  augment  the  confusion, 
and  to  divert  the  resistance  of  the  inhabitants,  the  Imperialists 
had,  in  the  commencement  of  the  assault  fired  the  town  in 
several  places.  The  wind  rising,  rapidly  spread  the  flames  till 
the  blaze  became  universal.  F(?arliil,  indeed,  was  the  tumult 
amid  clouds  of  smoke,  heaps  of  dead  bodies,  the  clash  of 
swords,  the  crash  of  falling  houses,  and  streams  of  blood. 
The  atmosphere  glowed,  and  the  intolerable  heat  forced  even 
the  murderers  to  take  refuge  in  their  camp.  In  less  than 
twelve  houi-s,  this  strong,  populous,  and  flourishing  city,  one  of 


252  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLI. 

the  finest  in  Germany,  was  reduced  to  ashes,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  churches  and  a  few  houses.  Tilly  himself  appear 
ed  in  the  town  after  the  streets  had  been  cleared  of  ashes  and 
dead  bodies.  Horrible  and  revolting  to  humanity  was  the 
scene  that  presented  itself.  The  living  were  crawling  from 
under  the  dead  ;  children  wandering  about  with  heartrending 
cries  calling  for  their  parents;  and  infants  still  sucking  the 
breasts  of  their  lifeless  mothers.  More  than  6000  bodies  were 
thrown  into  the  Elbe  to  clear  the  streets ;  a  much  greater  num- 
ber had  been  consumed  by  the  flames.  The  next  day  the 
whole  number  of  the  slain  w^as  reckoned  at  not  less  than 
30,000.  A  solemn  mass  was  performed  in  the  cathedral,  and 
Te  Deum  sung  amid  the  discharge  of  artillery.  The  Imperial 
general  rode  through  the  streets  that  he  might  be  able  as  an 
eyewitness  to  inform  his  master  that  no  such  conquest  had 
been  made  since  the  destruction  of  Troy  and  Jerusalem." 

I  went  to  the  vast  old  cathedral,  plodded  about  the  fortifica- 
tions a  while,  and  then  amused  myself  with  looking  on  at  the 
exercise  of  the  Prussian  troops.  Taking  the  cars  I  returned 
by  the  same  route  as  far  as  Gnadau,  a  Moravian  village.  It 
is  in  size  the  second  settlement  possessed  by  this  interesting 
religious  community,  Herrnhut  being  the  first.  There  was  noth- 
ing particular  about  its  situation  in  the  midst  of  a  plain;  but 
the  extreme  quiet,  neatness,  and  air  of  comfort  about  the  place 
rendered  it  the  most  attractive  village  1  saw  in  Germany.  At 
the  recommendation  of  a  mutual  friend  in  Halle,  I  called  on 
the  minister,  and  was  hospitably  entertained  and  shown  through 
their  educational  establishment.  The  chapel,  parsonage,  and 
seminary  were  in  a  connected  series  of  buildings.  In  the  first, 
the  seats  were  aiTanged  so  that  the  males  and  females  sat  on 
opposite  sides;  and  there  was  an  organ.  Indeed,  except  in 
their  fondness  for  music,  there  was  a  marked  resemblance  in 
the  sedate  air  and  exceedingly  neat,  plain  appearance  to  the 
members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.     The  ladies  here  have,  by 


Chap.  XLI.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  253 

custom,  a  very  convenient  way  of,  what  some  would  call,  hang- 
ing out  their  colors.  The  dresses  of  the  smaller  girls  are  orna- 
mented with  little  unostentatious  ribbons  of  deep  red ;  the  un- 
marned  females,  pink  ;  the  manied,  blue  ;  and  the  widows,  gray 
or  white.  I  noticed  that  in  the  female  school  that  almost  every 
apartment  was  furnished  with  a  piano.  The  girls  were  much 
occupied  with  needlework,  the  proceeds  of  which,  as  I  under- 
stood, went  to  support  the  extensive  missions  of  this  extraordi- 
nary people.  The  settlement  at  Gnadau  is  next  to  that  of 
Herrnhut  in  size,  and  it  owns  and  tills  only  what  would  make 
but  a  moderate  gentleman's  estate ;  and  yet  these  two  villages 
send  missionaries  to  almost  every  clime,  and  they  now  fos- 
ter upward  of  forty  establishments  in  different  parts  of  the 
world. 

Leaving  Gnadau,  I  hunied  back  to  Cothen,  the  little,  inter- 
esting capital  of  the  petty  principality  of  Anhalt  Cothen,  and 
joining  again  the  great  northen  railroad  in  the  evening,  reached 
Wittenburg,  the  cradle  of  the  Reformation,  and,  as  it  is  some- 
times styled,  the  Mecca  of  Protestantism. 

I  was  greatly  pleased  with  my  treatment  at  the  inn.  In- 
deed, except  at  the  very  fashionable  hotels,  where  one  sees 
less  of  the  manners  of  the  people,  the  traveler  is  often  receiv- 
ed more  as  if  he  were  a  guest  sharing  the  hospitalities  of  a 
kind,  domestic  circle  than  otherwise.  If  he  happens  to  speak 
a  little  of  their  language  and  is  sociable,  there  springs  up  im- 
mediately a  wonderful  kindness  of  manner  toward  him.  Per- 
haps I  was  more  fortunate,  from  being  from  America,  where 
are  so  many  of  their  friends  and  relations.  Many  a  pleasant 
hour  have  I  spent  answering  innocent  famiHar  questions  with 
a  hearth  circle  gathered  around  me  as  if  I  were  one  of  their 
number. 

I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  country  in  Europe  where  the 
stranger,  who  can  converse  with  the  people,  finds  more  pleasure 
fi'om  this  source,  and  feels  more  delightfully  at  home,  than  in 


254  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLI. 

Germany.  He  finds,  in  addition  to  hearty  kindness,  remarka- 
ble honesty.  The  inns  are  commonly  quite  moderate  in  their 
charges,  unlike  the  rest  of  the  Continent,  and  I  scarcely  remem- 
ber an  instance  of  being  overcharged  as  a  foreigner.  Then, 
too,  if  their  compliments  are  profuse,  there  is  great  apparent  sin- 
cerity. When  you  are  once  accustomed  to  them,  how  pleasant 
are  the  last  kind  look  and  the  "  Schlafen  sie  woliV  (May  you 
sleep  well)  of  the  domestic  who  lights  you  to  bed  !  Then  there 
are  little  compliments  for  any  emergency.  Before  dinner,  your 
neighbor  wishes  you  "  A  good  appetite,"  and  afterward  "  A 
good  digestion."  Often  does  the  polite  German  repeat  his  ever- 
lasting "  I  beg  you,"  or  his  parting  "  I  commend  myself,"  "  I 
have  the  honor,"  "  May  you  live  well,"  and  the  like.  A  Ger- 
man bow,  too,  is  the  real  article,  and  implies  a  graceful  curve 
of  the  body,  with  the  head  uncovered,  and  not  a  sort  of  au- 
tomaton affair,  like  a  slight  vibration  of  a  wooden  head  with  a 
spring. 

My  kind  host  procured  me  a  guide,  and  I  set  off  to  visit  the 
old  church  where  Luther  preached,  and  to  the  door  of  which 
he  affixed  his  celebrated  theses  against  indulgences.  Beneath 
a  tablet  of  bronze  in  the  floor  sleep  the  remains  of  Luther,  and 
by  his  side  lie  those  of  his  faithful  friend,  the  gentle  Melanc- 
ihon.  A  little  nearer  the  altar  were  the  tombs  of  Luther's  pow- 
erful friends,  Frederic  the  Wise  and  John  the  Steadfast,  elect- 
ors of  Saxony.  Till  the  guide  was  quite  wearied,  I  returned 
again  and  again  to  ponder  over  the  grave  of  the  mighty  reform- 
er. From  my  childhood  he  had  seemed  among  the  greatest  of 
Christian  heroes.  His  whole  history  whirled  through  the  brain. 
The  monk  struggling  for  light  in  the  dark  cloister — the  professor 
thundering  to  crowds  of  students  from  his  chair — and,  most  ma- 
jestic of  all,  the  confronting  of  princes  and  emperors  at  the  Diet 
of  Worms. 

In  the  market-place,  not  far  away,  is  a  beautiful  statue  of 
Luther  in  bronze,  with  his  celebrated  sentiment  in  German, 


Chap.  XLT.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  255 

"  If  it  be  the  word  of  God,  it  will  endure ;  if  it  be  man's  work, 
it  will  perish."  And  on  the  other  side  is  the  first  line  of  the  fa- 
mous hymn  commencing  with 

"  Our  God  is  a  strong  fortress." 

Near  the  other  end  of  the  town  we  came  to  a  part  of  the  an- 
cient university  buildings,  and  found  ourselves  suddenly  among 
the  children  of  Luther's  charity-school.  At  last  we  entered  the 
sitting-room  of  the  gi'eat  reformer,  with  the  furniture  just  as  he 
had  left  it  at  his  death.  There  were  the  chairs  in  which  sat  he 
and  the  gentle  Catherine;  some  of  her  ornamental  work;  the 
table  on  which  he  wrote ;  the  jug  from  which  he  drank,  and  a 
pile  of  his  manuscript  music. 

From  Luther's  house  we  went  outside  the  walls  to  an  oak- 
tree.  It  was  planted  upon  the  very  spot  where  the  great  re- 
former threw  away  the  scabbard,  in  the  height  of  the  contest, 
by  burning,  in  the  sight  of  the  professors  and  students  of  the 
university,  the  pope's  bull  of  excommunication. 

From  Wittenburg  we  took  the  cars  northward,  over  the  same 
level  country,  and  one  quiet  morning  we  found  ourselves  sud- 
denly in  Ihe  midst  of  the  din  and  bustle  of  the  Prussian  cap- 
ital. 


256  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLII. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

Berlin — Brandenburg  Thor— Unter  den  Linden— Chamber  of  Art— King — 
Government — Prussian  System  of  Education — Army. 

Berlin,  like  Prussia,  is  itself  a  wonder.  You  would  no  more 
have  expected  to  find  so  stately  a  city  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
flat,  barren  plain,  without  knowing  it  beforehand,  than  of  old  a 
camel  in  the  desert  would  have  prophesied  of  Palmyra. 

It  has  not  a  single  natural  advantage  except  a  contemptible 
sluggish  stream,  the  Spree,  connected  by  canals  with  the  Oder 
and  the  Baltic  in  one  direction,  and  the  Elbe  and  the  German 
Ocean  in  another.  The  streets  are  such  a  perfectly  dead  level 
that  they  are  very  badly  drained,  and  for  want  of  stone  in  the 
neighborhood  the  houses  are  all  of  brick.  Yet  with  these  dis- 
advantages, within  a  century  and  a  half  its  population  has  in- 
creased tenfold,  and  it  has  risen  to  be  one  of  the  finest  capitals 
in  Europe. 

Frederic  the  Great  having  wrested  Silesia  from  Maria  The- 
resa, taken  a  large  slice  from  Poland,  and  in  various  ways  add- 
ed to  his  patrimony  half  a  kingdom,  determined  to  have  a  cor- 
responding seat  of  government.  Wide  streets  were  projected, 
large  spaces  inclosed  and  filled  with  houses,  and  at  the  bid- 
ding of  a  genius  fruitful  in  the  cabinet  as  the  field,  after  long 
desolating  wars,  magnificent  palaces  and  public  edifices  rose  as 
by  magic. 

The  way  to  get  the  finest  impression  of  Berlin  is  to  take  a 
tour  through  the  Thiergarten,  an  extensive  pleasure-ground 
outside,  like  the  Champs  Elysees  at  Paris,  and  from  this  to 
enter  the  city  by  the  Brandenburg  Gate.  It  is  the  most  mag- 
nificent portal  in  Europe,  being  a  copy  on  a  colossal  scale  of 


Chap.  XLIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EFROrB.  257 

the  Propylauum  at  Athens.  Napoleon  carried  away  the  car  of 
Victory  and  the  horses  on  the  top,  to  be  returned  with  the  ad- 
ditional decorations  of  an  eagle  and  a  cross,  after  the  battle  of 
Waterloo.  Passing  beneath  the  arch  of  this  beautiful  en- 
trance, you  find  yourself  in  the  Unter  dc}i  Linden,  a  wide  street 
scarcely  rivaled  for  splendor,  planted  with  rows  of  lime- 
trees  for  a  shady  walk  in  the  centre,  with  carriage  roads  on 
each  side,  lined  with  the  most  stately  buildings  in  the  city,  while 
in  the  distance,  as  they  stand  clustered  round  the  other  ex- 
tremity, you  catch  glimpses  of  the  University,  Arsenal,  Italian 
Opera,  Guard  House,  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  Museum,  Cathe- 
dral, and  lastly,  the  immense  Royal  Palace. 

The  stranger  finds  quite  a  treat  in  visiting  the  Chamber  of 
Art  in  one  part  of  the  palace,  containing  a  museum  of  curiosi- 
ties of  no  common  interest.  In  the  historical  collection  is  a 
rare  assortment  of  authentic  memorials.  Among  these  are  the 
orders  and  decorations  presented  to  Napoleon  by  difterent  na- 
tions, and  his  hat,  captured  by  the  Prussians  in  his  carriage  at 
Waterloo  ;  a  royal  collection  of  filthy  tobacco  pipes  ;  the  gaudy 
■white  uniform  of  Murat ;  a  cap  worn  in  battle  by  the  great 
Elector;  Luther's  large  beer  jug;  a  death-cast  of  the  face  of 
the  beautiful  Queen  Louisa,  and  another  of  General  Moreau  ; 
the  model  of  a  windmill  made  by  Peter  the  Great  wliile  work- 
ing as  a  ship-cai^penter  in  Holland  ;  a  camp-chair  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  and  two  cannon-balls  fired  by  opposite  parties  at  the 
siege  of  Magdeburg,  and  flattened  by  meeting  in  the  air. 

But  the  most  curious  of  these  relics  are  those  of  Frederic  the 
Great.  There  is  a  wax  figure  of  him  in  tlie  shabby  and  soiled 
uniform  he  wore  on  the  day  of  his  death  ;  his  filthy  and  patched 
pocket  handkerchief;  and  his  books  and  favorite  flute,  the  so- 
lace of  his  leisure  hours. 

On  making  my  exit  from  this  place  into  the  palace  yard  one 
morning,  1  noticed  the  royal  carriage  drive  up  to  the  j)rincipal 
entrance  and  wait  for  the  king,  and  in  company  with  half  a 


258  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrB.  [Cuap.  XLII. 

dozen  others  pressed  near.  Presently  a  tall,  middle-aged  per- 
sonage, with  a  red  face,  dressed  in  a  plain  blue  cloak,  came 
bustling  down  the  steps,  and  those  present  saluted  him.  He 
replied  by  touching  his  hat,  and  bowing  in  the  polite  German 
style.  It  was  the  king.  He  had  just  before  granted  the  con- 
stitution which  his  father  had  promised  his  people  in  return  for 
assisting  to  conquer  Napoleon,  and  which  had  been  so  long  de- 
ferred. The  few  persons  present  seemed  quite  enthusiastic  in 
their  greetings.  A  few  weeks  after,  the  newly  constituted  rep- 
resentatives of  the  people  were  to  meet  in  the  Diet  or  Parlia- 
ment of  Prussia. 

From  what  I  could  learn,  the  king  was  esteemed  to  be 
exemplary  in  religious  matters,  and  to  sustain  a  fair  private 
character.  It  was  thought  that  the  fears  of  the  conserva- 
tive party,  together  with  the  influence  of  Austria  and  Russia, 
had  long  delayed  those  liberal  concessions  which  enlightened 
public  opinion  had  at  last  wrested.  Since  the  time  of  Frederic 
the  Great  the  government,  though  strictly  monarchical  and  ar- 
bitrary in  principle,  has  been  paternal  and  kind  in  practice. 

But  the  careful  system  of  national  instruction,  begun  by  that 
wise  prince,  encouraged  by  his  successors,  and  essentially  ma- 
tured nearly  thirty  years  since,  naturally  prepared  the  people 
for  a  large  share  of  political  liberty. 

As  the  Prussian  system  of  education  is  perhaps  the  most  per- 
fect in  the  world,  and  as  it  has  latterly  excited  an  interest  in 
our  own  country,  perhaps  a  slight  sketch  of  it  may  not  be 
amiss. 

One  of  the  most  important  members  of  the  king's  cabinet  is 
the  minister  of  public  instruction.  To  this  functionary,  assisted 
by  twelve  councillors  eminent  for  their  learning,  is  intrusted  the 
supervision  of  all  the  educational  interests  of  the  kingdom.     . 

Each  of  the  ten  provinces  of  Prussia,  again,  has  a  secondary 
organization  on  a  smaller  scale  and  acting  under  the  first,  con- 
sisting of  a  head  president  [Oberprdsident)  and  a  school-board. 


Chap.  XLII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  259 

In  almost  every  province  is  a  university,  which  communi- 
cates with  the  minister  of  pubUc  instruction  through  a  royal 
commissary.  Every  province,  again,  is  divided  into  regencies, 
circles,  and  parishes ;  and  corresponding  with  these  and  descend- 
ing in  the  scale,  are  various  inspectors,  councilhjrs,  and  others, 
down  to  the  parish  Schulvorstand,  or  school  committee,  mostly 
elective,  who  watch  over  and  regulate  the  details  of  each  indi- 
vidual school. 

Both  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  clergy,  according  to  the 
character  of  the  school,  by  virtue  of  their  offices,  are  made  to 
take  an  important  share  in  its  direction. 

There  are  three  principal  classes  of  schools.  The  first  or 
primary  school  gives  instruction  in  those  elementary  branches 
which  by  the  laws  of  Prussia  are  deemed  necessary  to  the  poor- 
est citizen,  embracing  religious  instruction,  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  elementary  geometry  and  physics,  geography,  Ger- 
man grammar,  history,  agriculture,  gymnastics,  and  singing. 

The  second  class  are  the  citizen-schools,  as  they  are  termed, 
a  higher  grade  for  the  children  of  the  inhabitants  of  small  towns 
and  villages,  who  may  wish  for  a  better  education  than  is  given 
in  the  primary  schools,  and  add  to  the  branches  taught  in  these, 
Latin,  and  one  or  more  modern  languages,  mathematics,  natural 
history,  and  a  higher  style  of  singing. 

The  gymnasia  form  the  third  class.  These  are  in  fact  minor 
colleges  or  seminaries,  scattered  over  the  country,  in  which 
very  respectable  classical  and  mathematical  courses  are  given, 
preparatory  to  entering  the  universities  or  the  learned  profes- 
sions. 

No  private  schools  can  exist  without  license  and  inspection 
by  the  local  school  authorities. 

The  whole  educational  interests  of  llio  countiy  are  thus 
merged  into  one  admirable  and  harmonious  system. 

To  insure  a  constant  su])j)ly  of  superior  teachers,  their  sal- 
aiics  have  been  gradually  raised,  so  as  to  make  their  situation 


260  LOITERINGS  IN  EUKOPE.  [Chap.  XLII. 

quite  desirable,  and  excellent  normal  schools  for  their  special 
training  have  Joeen  established  in  every  district. 

The  course  of  instruction,  preparatory  to  teaching  is  very 
thorough,  and  usually  lasts  three  years  ;  the  previous  exami- 
nation of  the  candidates  as  to  morals,  health,  musical  attain- 
ments, and  the  like,  is  quite  strict ;  a  model  school  is  usually 
placed  under  their  care  for  practice ;  they  must  become  good 
performers  on  the  organ,  piano,  and  violin  ;  at  the  end  of  the 
time  those  who  are  classed,  after  rigid  examination,  as  "  excel- 
lent" get  diplomas  and  permanent  situations  as  teachers,  while 
those  marked  "good"  or  "passable"  are  employed  for  a  time 
on  probation.  Teachers  frequently  return  for  further  improve- 
ment. 

Each  graduate  of  a  normal  school  agrees  to  hold  him- 
self in  readiness  to  fill  the  place  of  teacher  when  called  upon 
by  the  authorities,  at  any  time  within  three  years  after  leaving, 
or  to  refund  the  full  expenses  of  his  normal  education. 

The  installation  of  a  school  teacher  is  made  an  imposing 
ceremony,  and  he  pledges  himself  to  faithfully  discharge  his 
duties,  by  taking  a  solemn  oath.  It  is  regarded,  indeed,  as  a 
sacred  calling,  and  he  is  forbidden  to  engage  in  any  other  pur- 
suit which  may  lessen  the  dignity  or  efficiency  of  his  office. 
For  any  misconduct  he  is  subject  to  careful  trial  before  suitable 
judges,  and  disgrace  or  dismissal.  He  is  commonly  married, 
and  a  house  is  as  regularly  furnished  him  as  the  minister.  As 
a  favored  character  he  is  granted  peculiar  privileges,  and  is 
exempt  from  certain  burdens.  When  disabled  by  sickness  or 
old  age  he  has  a  retiring  allowance,  and  his  widow  and  or23hans 
are  aided  after  his  death. 

The  provision  by  the  state  for  the  general  support  of  educa- 
tion is  exceedingly  liberal.  In  addition  to  the  school-rate  levied 
upon  each  householder  in  every  parish  in  the  country,  to  sup- 
port its  own  schools,  large  suras  are  annually  expended  for 
public  instruction  by  the  government. 


Chap.  XLII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  2G1 

The  poorer  localities  are  aided ;  books,  the  necessary  imple- 
ments, and  a  garden,  are  usually  furnished  to  each  school ;  and 
when  the  parents  are  too  indigent  to  send  their  children  decent- 
ly clad,  they  are  sometimes  provided  with  clothing  at  the  pub- 
lic expense. 

But  the  most  curious  feature  in  the  system  is  the  rigid  ex- 
actness with  which  the  goverment  secures  the  participation  of 
its  bounty.  It  is  actually  made  a  crime  for  any  Prussian  sub- 
ject to  neglect  the  education  of  his  child.  Nor  is  this  reg- 
ulation a  dead  letter,  but  it  is  carefully  enforced.  Registers 
are  kept  of  all  the  children  of  the  school  age,  or  that  from 
seven  to  fourteen  in  each  parish,  and  these  are  compared  with 
the  school  lists.  Parents  or  guardians  wishing  to  educate 
their  children  by  private  tuition  receive  special  permission  from 
the  local  school  committee ;  but  all  others,  not  represented  in 
the  school  by  their  children,  must  send  a  certificate  from  a 
physician  or  clergyman  of  the  disability  of  their  children,  from 
ill  health,  or  be  summoned  before  the  school  authorities.  For 
the  neglect  of  what  the  Prussian  law  terms  the  duty  of 
"  Christian  and  conscientious  parents  toward  their  children,"  in 
not  sending  them  to  school,  the  former  are  at  first  severely 
reprimanded  ;  then,  if  refractory,  they  are  fined  and  deprived  of 
any  offices  in  the  church  or  school,  and  of  poor-relief;  and, 
finally,  if  necessary,  they  are  sentenced  to  imprisonment  or 
hard  labor;  and,  as  unworthy  of  the  charge  of  their  children, 
guardians  are  appointed  to  attend  to  the  education  of  the 
latter. 

In  Prussia  there  are  two  great  obligations  generally  recog- 
nized as  due  to  the  state  from  every  good  citizen,  and  which, 
in  phrases  particularly  expressive  in  German,  are  termed  the 
"school  duty"  and  the  military  "service  duty."  Let  us  glance 
at  the  latter : 

As  you  walk  through  Berlin,  you  arc  struck  with  the  num- 
ber and  fine  appearance  of  the  soldier's.     The  whole  male  pop- 


262  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIL 

ulation  have  a  military  gait.  Reviews  and  parades  seem,  as 
they  really  are,  the  most  popular  exhibitions.  One  of  the  first 
steps  of  Fredeiic  the  Great,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  Seven 
Years'  War,  was  carefully  to  organize  a  very  large  peace 
establishment. 

The  territory  of  Prussia  is  disjointed,  possesses  few  natural 
barriers,  and  is  surrounded  by  powerful  nations,  capable  of  be- 
coming dangerous  neighbors  ;  and  his  successors  have  felt  the 
necessity,  however  great  the  burden,  of  making  her  the  most 
military  nation  in  Europe. 

Every  able-bodied  male  subject,  from  the  peasant  to  the 
prince,  is  obliged  to  sei*ve  in  the  regiments  of  the  line,  or  the 
provincial  army  or  Landwelir,  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and 
thirty-two,  for  three  years.  After  this  service  these  fonn  a  body 
of  reserve,  or  the  second  band  of  the  Landwehr,  until  the  age 
of  thirty-nine  years.  These  two  bands  of  highly-disciplined 
mihtia,  with  the  troops  of  the  line,  constitute,  in  any  emergency, 
an  army  of  upward  of  half  a  million  of  soldiers.  In  addition  to 
this,  in  case  of  invasion,  the  Landsturm^  or  all  those  between 
seventeen  and  twenty  and  thirty-nine  and  fifty  years,  are  lia- 
ble to  serve. 

Yet,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  from  its  peculiar  organization, 
so  large  a  standing-army  has  been  a  check  to  arbitrary  power. 
It  is  but  a  body  of  armed  citizens.  Their  rights  and  feelings 
are  always  respected,  and  they  are  not  subject  to  the  same  de- 
grading punishments  as  elsewhere.  Indeed,  they  are  the  most 
independent  and  intelligent  troops  in  Europe,  and  they  sympa- 
thize in  every  thing  with  the  great  mass  of  the  people.  No 
monarch  or  minister  dares  tyrannize  over  such  a  nation.  Per- 
haps this  curious  feature  is  one  of  the  secret  causes  of  the  pa- 
ternal and  conciliatory  policy  of  the  government.  If  the  citi- 
zens are  all  soldiers  the  soldiers  are  all  citizens. 


Chap.  XLTII.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  263 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Grateful  Wishes — M  isty  Recollections — ^Mecklenburg — Kdnier — Hamburg— 
Hull — Route  to  London. 

Blessings  be  on  liim  who  invented  railroads.  Next  to 
balloon-flying,  or  some  other  means  in  which  I  am  equally 
inexperienced,  they  seem  to  aflford  the  most  comfortable  way 
of  traveling  in  cold  weather.  Posting  over  the  rough  ground 
is  no  comparison. 

It  is  true,  that,  except  the  select  few  w^ithin  the  car,  you  see 
little  of  the  people,  and  your  recollections  of  the  country  are 
something  like  Milton's  description  of  the  voyage  of  Satan  to 
Earth — rather  misty.  But  who  ever  tasted  happiness  in  this 
world  that  had  not  its  drawback  ]  And  the  calm  pleasure  of 
sitting  like  a  philosopher,  and  without  the  motion  of  a  hand  or 
the  quiver  of  a  wing,  flying  over  the  beautiful  earth,  like  a 
spirit,  is  necessarily  fleeting ;  and  the  impressions  of  the  scenes 
through  which  you  pass  are  easily  effaced. 

The  railroad  from  Berlin  to  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe  had  been 
finished  but  a  few  days  previous,  and  instead  of  a  jolting,  tedious 
ride  over  a  weary  level  for  nearly  two  hundred  miles,  I  found  my- 
self, on  a  fine  brisk  morning,  sitting  quietly  in  a  car,  waiting  for 
the  last  whistle  of  the  conductor,  and  expecting  to  sup  in  Ham- 
burg. 

Our  route  lay  through  the  flat  territory  of  the  principality  of 
Mecklenburg  Schvverin,  famous  for  its  geese,  horses,  and  other 
animals,  the  more  fleet  from  having  never  to  go  up  hill.  It  is  a 
part  of  that  vast  plain,  here  less  barren,  that  skirts  f)r  hundreds 
of  miles  the  southern  shore  of  the  Baltic,  and  extends  into  Russia. 


264--  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIII. 

Scattered  over  this  every  where  are  numerous  granite  boulders 
of  various  sizes,  brought  apparently  by  some  violent  cause  from 
a  distant  mountain  chain.  They  have  rather  puzzled  geol- 
ogists. Some  have  fancied  they  were  floated  there  upon  ice- 
bergs, loosened  and  thawed  at  the  time  of  the  Flood  ;  and  others 
have  thought  that  the  Baltic  once  covered  all  this  plain,  and 
that  rocks  from  the  mountains  of  Scandinavia,  upon  flakes  of  ice, 
might  have  been  ferried  over  and  deposited. 

We  passed  near  the  place  where  the  poet  Korner,  the  Ger- 
man Tyrtasus,  fell  in  rallying  his  countrymen  against  the  French, 
but  a  few  hours  after  composing  the  celebrated  **  Sword  Song," 
and  was  buried  by  his  companions  in  arms,  beneath  a  spreading 
oak. 

Just  at  sunset  we  came  to  the  pleasant  environs  of  Hamburg, 
and  in  half  an  hour,  with  a  cheerful  party  of  Germans,  I  was 
duly  established  at  an  hotel. 

Next  day  I  had  a  delightful  ramble  though  this  old-fashioned 
commercial  city.  It  will  be  remembered  it  was  anciently  a 
leading  member  of  the  powerful  confederacy  of  the  Hanse 
Towns.  In  some  parts  the  houses  have  a  very  antiquated,  odd 
appearance,  as  though  they  had  stood  for  centuries.  But  these 
are  quite  eclipsed  by  the  beautiful  edifices  rising  from  the  ashes 
of  the  late  fire.  Its  havoc  must  have  been  immense,  as,  with  all 
the  resources  of  the  first  seaport  of  Germany,  a  large  space  is 
still  desolate. 

The  city  is  built  at  the  junction  of  a  small  river,  the  Alster, 
with  the  Elbe ;  and  the  former  stream  is  dammed  so  as  to  form 
an  extensive  basin,  around  which  is  a  beautiful  promenade, 
termed,  in  the  expressive  German,  the  "Maiden's  Walk." 

Happening  to  be  out  just  after  sunrise,  I  could  not  help  no- 
ticing the  dressy  appearance  of  the  sei-vant  girls  out  making 
their  purchases  for  the  day.  It  is  customary  for  them  not  to 
appear  in  the  streets  except  in  the  gayest  attire,  and  it  is  rather 
amusing  to  see  their  provision  baskets,  shaped  like  little  coflins. 


Chap.  XLIII]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  265 

nicely  enveloped  in  the  folds  of  a  splendid  shawl,  and  home  by- 
hands  garnished  with  kid  gloves. 

But  the  most  curious  costume  you  meet  in  the  streets  is  that 
of  the  female  peasants  from  a  settlement  in  the  neighborhood, 
supposed  to  have  been  an  ancient  Dutch  colony.  Their  dresses 
are  queer  as  the  most  heathenish  robes  of  savage  people  in 
a  child's  picture  book,  and  their  hats  look  as  if  the  original  idea 
had  been  taken  from  the  top  of  a  mushroom  or  the  inverted 
form  of  certain  dishes  in  a  dairy. 

AVhen  the  water  in  the  Elbe  is  low,  the  large  London  steam- 
ers are  sometimes  detained  some  eighty  miles  below  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  this  being  strongly  threatened  at  the 
time  of  our  visit,  a  party  of  us  embarked  on  board  a  smaller 
English  steamer  for  Hull.  Large  quantities  of  floating  ice  im- 
peded our  progress,  till  at  last  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  port 
of  Cuxhaven,  and  soon  after  were  buffeting  a  rough  sea  in  the 
German  Ocean. 

The  voyage  usually  varies  in  length  with  the  weather.  At 
day-break  of  the  third  day  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
Humber.  We  had  left  winter  in  Germany  to  find  decided 
spring  in  England.  It  was  the  beginning  of  March  and  yet  it 
seemed  like  an  April  day.  Soon  after,  the  sun  rose,  and  we  land- 
ed in  Hull.  The  hum  of  one's  mother-tongue  seemed  delight- 
fully welcome.  It  was  a  lovely  Sabbath  morning;  and  the  still- 
ness of  the  streets,  the  closing  of  all  the  shops,  the  ringing  of  the 
bells  soon  after,  and  the  cheerful  and  yet  sedate  groups  bending 
their  way  at  a  given  hour,  to  the  churches,  all  contrasting  with 
the  dissipation  and  gayety  of  the  day  upon  the  Continent, 
strongly  reminded  me  of  home. 

Next  day  I  took  an  early  stroll  through  the  town.  The  sit- 
uation of  Hull  at  the  head  of  a  fine  estuary,  and  its  numerous 
communications  with  the  intt;rior,  make  it  the  first  seaport  of 
the  north  of  England,  and  its  dcjcks,  filled  with  shipping,  cover- 
ing a  dozen  acres  or  more,  attest  the  activity  of  its  commerce. 

jyi 


266  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIIL 

Of  late  its  trade  in  the  Greenland  whale-fishery  has  consider- 
ably declined. 

Soon  after,  in  compauj  with  a  fellow-passenger,  a  kind,  in- 
telligent German,  who  needed  the  assistance  of  an  interpreter 
and  guide,  a  party  of  three  of  us  set  out  by  railway  for  the 
south.  The  rich,  finished  aspect  of  the  country,  neatly  hedged 
and  ditched  every  where,  the  broad,  sleek-looking  cattle  and 
sheep  gi'azing  in  the  fields,  and  the  neat  cottages  and  stately 
old  mansions,  scattered  thickly  over  the  country,  quite  captiva- 
ted our  German  friend.  Passing  through  the  pleasant  towns 
of  Selby  and  Rotherham,  we  came  to  Chesterfield.  The  spire 
of  one  of  its  churches  has  a  veiy  singular  appearance,  looking 
as  if  it  had  been  built  of  some  yielding  material,  and  been  twisted 
round  two  or  three  times,  and  then  palled  slightly  to  the  west- 
ward. From  this  we  pushed  on  to  the  pleasant  ancient  cities 
of  Derby  and  Leicester,  and  joined  the  great  Northwestern  or 
Liverpool  line  at  Rugby. 

Anxious  to  get  on,  from  pressing  engagements,  we  took  the 
first  upward  train,  and  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  the  houses 
and  the  smoke  began  to  thicken,  the  conductors  to  search  for 
some  suspicious  character  on  board,  and  we  soon  after  were 
liberated  at  the  immense  station  in  Euston  Square. 

By  nine  in  the  evening  I  was  in  a  distant  part  of  London, 
enjoying  the  society  of  delightful  friends. 


Chap.  XLIV.]  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROPE.  267 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Glimpses  of  London. 

Do  not  ask  me,  gentle  reader,  for  a  regular  description  of 
huge  London.  I  am  weary,  and  so  perhaps  are  you.  No;  you 
would  frighten  me  by  calling  for  it  now.  Besides,  the  story  is  so 
very  old.  Yet  it  is  too  important  a  place  upon  our  planet  to  be 
entirely  passed  over.  AVe  will  then  loiter  about  it  easily,  care- 
lessly, if  you  will.  You  shall,  in  thought,  be  my  traveling  com- 
panion. We  may  not  be  believers  in  mesmerism,  but  we  will 
again  borrow  one  of  its  figures  ;  you  shall,  in  imagination,  be 
in  a  state  of  intellectual  clairvoyance.  Fancy  the  spell  is  on 
you.     There  !  are  you  ready  ] 

Here  we  are  over  a  stream  about  half  as  wide  as  the  East 
River  opposite  Fulton  Ferry,  standing  in  the  middle  of  Black- 
friars'  bridge.  It  is  one  of  the  most  central  positions  to  get  a 
general  idea  of  London.  Just  over  there,  a  little  to  the  north- 
east, the  dome  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  looms  up  proudly  in  the 
smoke.  What  a  pity  the  architect  did  not  clear  away  the 
houses  from  it  down  to  the  river  ! 

Westward,  beyond  Waterloo  bridge  and  just  north  of  the 
Suspension,  we  see  a  single  column  towering  far  above  tho 
houses,  surmounted  by  a  colossal  statue  of  Nelson.  Opposite  tliis 
pohit  the  river  disappears  by  taking  a  turn  to  the  south.  On  the 
north  bank,  we  notice  the  Temple  Gardens,  tlic  only  open  spot 
on  the  Thames  in  sight,  where  the  sages  of  the  law  air  them- 
selves and  cool  their  learned  heads.  That  grim-looking  palace 
beyond  is  Somerset  House.  Tliere  is  nothing  notable  in  sight 
bordering  the  shore  of  the  smaller  and  quieter  part  of  the  city 
Buuth  of  the  river,  but  smoky   breweries,  ehot-towers,  glass- 


268  LOITBRINGS  IN  EUROrE.  [Chap.  XLIV. 

houses,  and  the  hke.  Eastward  and  below  us  are  South wark 
and  London  bridges,  and  below  the  latter,  again,  are  crowds  of 
large  shipping. 

Passing  constantly  over  the  bridge  where  we  are  standing 
are  a  motley  throng ;  vehicles  of  every  kind  ;  coalmen,  with 
broad  canvass  hats,  blackened  faces,  and  linen  frocks  dyed 
with  soot,  and  driving  heavily-laden  wagons,  with  broad  tires, 
drawn  by  elephant  horses  in  single  file ;  stout  servant  girls ; 
spruce  clerks ;  splendid  coaches,  with  footmen  outside  ;  old- 
clothes-men  ;  red-faced  market-women  ;  portly  gentlemen,  with 
large  noses  and  whiskers ;  children  of  all  sizes  ;  tall,  civil  po- 
licemen— the  best  in  the  world — with  glazed  crowns  to  their 
hats,  and  blue  coats  ornamented  with  white  numbers;  stately 
women,  with  fine  complexions ;  foreigners,  with  moustaches, 
staring  at  the  crowd  like  ourselves  ;  and  omnibuses,  with  the 
figure  for  sixpence  and  a  noisy  man  behind.  We  begin  to 
form  an  idea  of  the  currents  and  eddies  of  human  beings  ever 
rushing  through  the  sti'eets  of  this  vast  capital.  Detachments 
of  the  multitude  on  foot  wheel  round  at  the  ends  of  the  bridge, 
and  embark  from  the  different  stairs  on  board  the  little  iron 
steamers,  like  toy  boats,  plying  incessantly  on  the  Thames, 
and  crowded  worse  than  the  streets.  What  curious  river-craft 
of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  are  floating  constantly  backward  and  for- 
ward beneath  1 

We  will  take  a  walk  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  down  to  Fleet 
street  and  up  Ludgate  Hill.  Here  we  are  right  in  front  of  St. 
Paul's.  The  little  space  we  see,  about  the  width  of  a  roomy 
street,  around  it,  is  St.  Paul's  Churchyard.  It  is  shaped,  to  use 
an  undertaker's  figure,  like  half  a  coffin,  and  in  it  St.  Paul's 
itself  is  half-buried.  We  will  not  ransack  that  beautiful  solemn 
temple,  for  you  have  heard  all  about  it  before,  but  we  will 
merely  stroll  about  in  it  a  little  while.  The  door  of  the  side 
entrance  opens  and  we  pay  our  trifling  toll.  We  look  upward 
from  the  centre,  and  the  effect  is  singularly  impressive.     But 


Chap.  XLIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  269 

no  one  but  an  architect  can  well  describe  or  remember  details 
of  columns,  arches,  aisles,  naves,  choirs,  domes,  and  the  like. 
We  think,  as  all  the  world  do,  that  it  is  all  very  grand,  and  so 
we  will  walk  about  and  look  at  the  monuments.  Here  are 
memorials  of  many  a  bloody  conflict.  In  the  centre  rest  the 
remains  of  Nelson,  and  around  are  those  of  Collingwood,  Moore, 
Abercrombie,  and  many  other  military  and  naval  heroes.  But 
standing  in  one  corner  is  the  statue  of  a  benevolent-looking  old 
man  with  a  roll,  on  which  you  decipher  the  word  "prisons." 
It  excites  a  deeper  thrill  than  any  martial  figure  of  the  collec- 
tion. It  is  the  testimonial  of  a  nation's  gratitude — the  first  ever 
erected  in  St.  Paul's — in  memory  of  a  philanthropist,  who  spent 
a  life,  and  traveled,  at  his  own  expense,  more  than  fifty  thou- 
sand miles,  to  comfort  the  prisoner  and  the  distressed ;  and  you 
easily  recognize  it  as  that  to  the  illustrious  Howard.  We  muse 
awhile  and  then  walk  out,  to  admire  the  front  of  St.  Paul's. 
The  joint  effect  of  the  weather  and  smoke  upon  this,  as  upon 
eveiy  other  public  building  in  London,  has  been  to  make  it  re- 
semble a  heavily  shaded  engraving,  the  bright  lines  and  points 
being  those  most  exposed. 

We  make  our  exit  at  the  side  entrance,  and  walk  down  Cheap- 
side  and  Poultry  to  the  commencement  of  Cornhill.  The 
substantial  edifice  on  the  left,  appearing  somewhat  low,  from 
its  vast  extent,  is  the  Bank  of  England.  It  employs  900 
clerks,  covers  about  eight  acres,  and  has  a  capital  of  more  than 
$50,000,000. 

Ricrht  in  front  of  us  is  the  fine  Corinthian  portico  of  the 
Royal  Exchange.  But  we  can  not  delay.  We  pass  down 
Cornhill  to  the  corner  of  Bishopsgate  street.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible to  move  or  cross  a  street  for  the  crowd  of  passengers 
and  vehicles.  Going  down  Leadenhall  street,  we  notice  a 
large  building  on  the  right,  ornamented  with  fluted  Ionic  col- 
umns. It  is  the  East  India  House,  and  here  a  company  of 
merchants,  with  singular  ability,  govern  an  extensive  empire, 


270  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIV. 

several  thousand  miles  distant.  AVe  turn  through  a  narrow 
street  to  the  right,  and  get  into  Mark  Lane.  The  immense 
plain  structure  we  now  see  is  the  celebrated  Corn  Market, 
whose  reports  influence  the  grain  trade  of  the  world.  Pres- 
ently, we  come  to  an  open  space,  and  all  at  once  we  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  Thames,  and  the  walls  and  gloomy  old  battle- 
ments of  the  Tower.  We  enter  the  first  gate,  and  wait  awhile 
in  an  office,  when  one  of  the  warders,  a  stout  old  gentleman  in 
a  queer  ancient  uniform,  comes  to  conduct  the  party  who  have 
gathered.  Just  as  we  start,  we  buy  a  book,  which  reminds  us 
that  the  Tower  was  built  as  a  fortress  by  William  the  Con- 
queror ;  that  in  subsequent  reigns,  it  was  at  times  a  palace,  but 
oftener  a  horrid  prison ;  that  the  barons  held  it  till  they  wrested 
the  Magna  Charta  from  King  John  ;  that  here  a  Scottish  and 
French  king  were  imprisoned,  and  an  English  monarch  and 
two  princes  were  assassinated  ;  that  here  pined  or  cruelly  per- 
ished. Sir  William  Wallace,  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  Sir  Thomas 
Moore,  the  beautiful  Anne  Boleyn,  the  accomplished  Lady  Jane 
Grey,  the  gifted  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  the  eloquent  Earl  of 
Strafford,  and  many  of  the  most  noted  characters  in  English 
history.  But  the  talkative  old  gentleman  interrupts  our  read- 
ing, and  recites  his  lesson  as  res^ularly  as  a  parrot.  Presently 
we  are  introduced  to  a  splendid  collection  of  figures  of  men 
and  heroes,  in  the  steel  armor  and  trappings  of  the  various 
fashions  of  several  different  centuries.  The  most  magnificent 
is  that  worn  by  the  effigy  of  Henry  VIIL,  and  presented  to  that 
monarch  by  the  Emperor  Maximilian.  We  pass  on  to  witness 
a  curious  assortment  of  warlike  weapons  of  every  age,  and  get 
a  sight  of  the  thumb-screws,  the  heavy  iron  collar,  armed  with 
points  ;  the  horrid  machine  for  binding  together  the  head,  hands, 
and  feet,  and  other  instruments  of  torture.  We  are  shown  the 
dark  cell  that  v^^as  the  sleeping  apartment  of  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
leigh, and  read  above  names  scratched  upon  the  wall,  consoling 
passages  of  Scripture,  traced  by  some  of  the  victims  of  the  per- 


Chap.  XLIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  271 

secuting  Queen  Mary.  But  we  have  had  enough  of  these  sad- 
der sights,  and  we  escape  to  the  room,  where,  ghttering  with 
diamonds,  rubies,  and  gold,  are  four  or  five  different  crowns  and 
sceptres,  the  gold  staff  of  Edward  the  Confessor,  and  baptis- 
mal, sacramental,  and  coronation  services,  wrought  in  gold  and 
silver,  the  whole  being  of  immense  value,  and  carefully  guarded 
as  the  recralia  of  Encjland. 

Leaving  the  Tower,  we  continue  our  walk  eastward,  by  the 
immense  basins  of  St.  Catherine's  and  London  docks,  filled 
with  shipping.  Traversing  narrow,  indifferent  streets,  we  in- 
quire for  the  Thames  Tunnel.  We  enter  a  door  at  last,  and  find 
ourselves  going  down  a  flight  of  circular  stairs,  in  a  round  place, 
like  an  immense  well.  On  reaching  the  bottom,  we  sec,  run- 
ning under  the  Thames,  two  arched  passages,  resembling  as 
nearly  as  possible  a  couple  of  neatly  finished  railroad  tunnels, 
■with  very  strong  supports,  and  small  spaces  between  them, 
descending  to  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  rising  slightly 
toward  the  other  side,  and  brilliantly  lighted  with  gas.  There 
are  carriage  roads  in  the  centre  of  each  and  foot  paths  at  the 
sides.  Our  voices  echo  strangely  along  the  arches.  A  ship  of 
the  line  may  be  sailing  over  us.  What  if  the  Thames  should 
burst  in,  and  quench  our  curiosity  with  a  cold  bath  ?  We 
emerge  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  take  the  first  omnibus, 
and,  thoroughly  tired,  go  home  to  our  hotel.  How  dingy  and 
prison-like  most  English  houses  are  outside,  and  how  tho- 
roughly clean  and  well-kept  inside !  Here  we  are  before  a 
blazing  grate,  lounging  upon  a  sofa  and  an  arm-chair,  with 
every  thing  bright  and  neat  around.  This  is  a  great  contrast  to 
the  Continent.  Comfort  is  truly  an  English  word.  The  beef 
and  mutton  of  our  late  dinner  are  delicious,  and  the  servants 
are  tidy  and  attentive,  but  do  not  forget  the  expected  shillings. 

It  is  moming  again ;  so  at  least  say  the  clock  and  the  break- 
fast-bell. But  how  dark  !  We  have  come  to  London,  to  bor- 
row the  hard  expression  of  a  friend  from  a  sunnier  clime,  iu 


272  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIV. 

one  of  the  "  cut-throat  months."  The  raw  air  pierces  your 
chest  as  if  it  came  from  a  cold,  damp  cellar.  We  stumble  into 
the  street.  It  is  a  real  London  fog.  Not  the  light,  semi-trans- 
parent article  met  elswhere,  but  a  murky  composition,  that  re- 
minds you  of  the  poet's  description  of  the  shadowy  place  where 
dwelt  the  Cimmerians ;  something  that  has  what  the  painters  call 
**  body"  to  it,  and  to  which  all  the  chimneys  in  the  city  have 
doubtless  condescended  to  contribute.  St.  Paul's  is  in  an  eclipse, 
and  we  are  in  happy  ignorance  of  what  our  next  neighbors  are 
doing. 

It  is  beginning  to  clear,  and  we  will  fly  away  from  the  city, 
suddenly  so  dismal.  We  get  into  a  little  steamer,  and  go  rap- 
idly up  the  river. 

Passing  Westminster  bridge,  we  notice  a  vast,  richly-carved, 
Gothic  edifice,  that  stands  fronting  the  river  on  the  north,  for 
nearly  nhie  hundred  feet.  It  contains  the  new  Houses  of  Par- 
liament. The  more  venerable  pile,  whose  turrets  we  presently 
see  pointing  up  just  behind  this,  is  Westminster  Abbey.  A 
little  higher,  on  the  south  bank,  are  the  palace  and  gardens  of 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  at  Lambeth.  We  pass  the 
Penitentiary  and  Vauxhall  bridge.  That  noble  structure,  front- 
ing the  river  on  the  right,  is  Chelsea  Hospital,  built  originally 
as  a  palace  for  Charles  II.,  but  converted  by  William  III.  into 
a  delightful  retreat  for  disabled  seamen,  their  widows  and 
children.  The  Thames  gets  rapidly  narrow,  dark  and  clears 
the  banks,  down  to  the  very  water's  edge,  are  clothed  with 
freshest  verdure,  diversified  with  luxuriant  trees,  and  studded 
every  where  with  magnificent  villas.  How  gracefully  those 
swans,  with  their  white  arched  necks,  float  in  the  stream  !  We 
leave  behind  the  splendid  seats  of  Chiswick,  Kew,  and  Sion 
House  and  land,  on  the  south  bank,  eight  miles  from  London, 
at  Richmond,  the  "  finest  village"  in  England.  Climbing  up 
the  hill,  we  get  the  privilege  of  a  peep  from  the  Star  and  Gar- 
ter Inn.     What  a  lovely  vision  !     The  rich  valley  of  the  Thames, 


Chat.  XLIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  273 

all  the  way  to  London,  receding  away  to  swelling  bills  on  cither 
hand,  and  dotted  over  with  beautiful  parks,  gardens,  and  raan- 
eions,  half-hidden  by  trees,  and  divided  by  the  winding,  silvery 
sti'eam,  forms  one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  world.  I  have  gazed 
upon  sunny  spots  in  the  valley  of  the  Arno,  mused  upon  the 
bright  world  before  me,  from  the  Black  Forest  to  the  Rhine, 
from  the  old  fortress  of  Baden-Baden;  and  reveled  in  the 
equally  sublime  prospect  of  the  vale  of  the  Forth  from  Stirling 
Castle,  but  I  have  never  beheld  a  landscape  so  freshly  green, 
60  softly  finished,  as  that  seen  from  Richmond  Hill. 

We  ascend  the  river  four  miles  farther,  pass  Twickenham, 
once  the  residence  of  Pope,  get  a  view  of  Bushy  Park,  and  at 
last  find  ourselves  approaching  the  leading  object  of  our  trip, 
the  palace  of  Hampton  Court,  built  by  Cardinal  Wolsey.  It 
is  altogether  a  gi-and  affair.  We  walk  into  the  garden,  amuse 
ourselves  with  the  winding  of  the  maze,  and  then  inspect  a 
sheltered  grape-vine,  said  to  be  the  largest  and  most  produc- 
tive in  Europe.  In  one  part  of  the  palace  we  are  shown  a 
splendid  ancient  dining  hall.  But  the  leading  attraction  is  its 
collection  of  paintings.  Here  figure  the  portraits  by  Lely  of 
Nell  Gwynne,  and  the  celebrated  beauties  of  the  court  of 
Charles  II. ;  and  here  in  a  fine  hall,  built  expressly  for  those 
sublime  representations  of  Scripture  characters,  are  the  match- 
less cartoons  of  Raphael. 

We  hasten  back  to  London,  and  land  at  Westminster  bridge. 
The  passing  glance  at  Westminster  Abbey  was  not  enough. 
We  stop  a  few  minutes  to  walk  round  and  admire  its  pointed 
architecture,  and  then  enter.  The  interior  is  vast,  richly 
wi'ought,  and  filled  with  memorials  to  the  illustrious  dead. 
There  are  the  monuments  of  the  earlier  ICdwards  and  Henrys, 
and  their  queens,  the  beautiful  Mary  queen  of  Scots,  and  the 
stern  Elizabeth,  statesmen,  philosophci-s,  painters,  and  heroes, 
lie  mingled.  Those  who  eloquently  thundered  against  each 
other  in  life,  sleep  peacefully  together  in  death  ;  and  not  far 


274  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIV. 

separated  are  the  remains  of  Pitt  and  Fox,  Grattan,  Castle- 
reagh,  and  Canning.  As  precious  relics,  you  are  shown  the 
ancient  coronation-chairs,  under  one  of  which  is  the  stone 
brought  by  Edward  I.  from  Scotland,  declared  by  tradition  to 
have  been  Jacob's  pillow  at  the  time  of  his  vision.  In  the  chap- 
ter-house, in  good  preservation,  is  still  kept  the  famous  Domes- 
day-Book of  William  the  Conqueror. 

The  guide  shows  us  through  the  different  side  chapels. 
Here  we  see  the  gem  of  Westminster  Abbey,  the  chapel  of 
Henry  VII.,  built  as  a  splendid  mausoleum  for  royalty.  What 
a  gorgeous  profusion  of  ornament  and  richly-wrought  tracery ! 
We  gaze  awhile  at  the  marble  effigies  of  King  Henry  and  his 
queen,  and  make  our  exit  from  the  chapel.  Here  we  are  iu 
the  Poets'  Corner.  Almost  every  distinguished  English  poet, 
from  Chaucer  to  Goldsmith  and  Thomson,  has  a  memorial. 
We  linger  longer  here  than  elsewhere.  Rich  are  the  associa- 
tions of  this  spot. 

Beneath  this  vaulted  pile,  yonder  lines  from  Shakspeare, 
upon  his  own  monument,  written  as  if  for  the  epitaph  of  all 
around,  seem  strangely  eloquent.  We  read  with  more  emotion 
than  ever : 

"  The  cloud  capp'd  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples,  the  gi-eat  globe  itself; 
Yea,  all  which  it  inherit,  shall  dissolve, 
And,  like  this  insubstantial  pageant  faded, 
Leave  not  a  wreck  behind." 

We  are  in  the  street  again,  and  in  three  minutes  we  find 
ourselves  in  St.  James's  Park.  Swans  and  many  rare  aquatic 
birds  are  floating  on  those  still  waters.  Children  are  playing 
with  noisy  glee  on  the  green  and  under  the  shade-trees. 

What  a  glorious  improvement  it  would  have  been  to  have 
continued  St.  James's  Park  to  the  Thames.  It  would  have 
given  a  current  of  air  to  choked  London,  thrown  a  new  light 


Chap.  XLIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  275 

upon   Westminster   Abbey   and    the   Parliament  Houses,   and 
opened  one  of  the  finest  river  views  in  the  world. 

Continuing  our  walk  past  St.  James's  Palace,  we  reach  the 
head  of  the  park  in  front  of  Buckingham  Palace,  the  ordinary 
town  residence  of  her  majesty.  Neither  of  them,  compared 
with  some  upon  the  Continent  are  very  splendid.  We  will 
visit  a  royal  residence  more  interesting,  and  which,  though 
twenty  miles  distant,  may  be  reached  by  railroad  in  an  hour, 
and  may  therefore  be  enumerated  among  the  sights  of  London. 
Leaving  Paddington  Station,  we  are  whirled  rapidly  through 
a  pleasant  country  to  Slough,  and  from  this  we  get  to  our  jour- 
ney's end  by  omnibus  in  a  few  minutes.  Yonder  castle  in  the 
distance,  looking  proudly  fi-om  a  high  hill,  is  AV^indsor.  That 
ancient  brick  edifice  in  the  villas:e  this  side,  is  Eton  Colleo'e, 
the  place  where  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Canning,  and  many 
distinguished  chai'acters,  have  been  educated.  The  boys  are 
out  menily  playing  cricket  on  the  green.  We  cross  the 
Thames,  here  an  insignificant  stream,  three  or  four  rods  wide, 
and  mount  the  stairs  up  the  steep  hill  to  Windsor  Palace. 
Getting  within  its  lofty  inclosure,  we  are  shown  into  St. 
George's  Chapel,  one  of  the  most  elaborate  specimens  of  ancient 
pointed  architecture  in  England.  It  seems  impossible  that  stone 
could  be  made  so  light  and  airy.  We  muse  awhile  by  the 
monument  of  the  lamented  Princess  Charlotte,  and  the  buria^ 
place  of  George  IIL  and  his  family,  then  walk  through  the 
sjilendid  banqueting  hall  of  the  Knights  of  the  Garter,  and  the 
Waterloo  Hall,  hung  with  portraits  of  the  rulers,  statesmen, 
and  generals  of  the  era  of  that  great  conflict.  After  inspecting 
various  other  royal  apartments,  and  gazing  awhile  at  the  busts  oi 
INIarlborough,  Wellingtf)n,  and  Nelson,  we  escape  to  the  lofty 
round  terrace,  commanding  a  marniificent  view  of  the  neigh- 
boring park  and  the  country  for  miles  round.  From  the  beau- 
ties of  its  situation,  we  wonder  not  that  this  has  been  a  favorite 
retreat  for  the  English  sovereigns  for  so  many  centuries. 


276  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIV. 

We  hasten  back  to  London,  take  an  omnibus,  and  come  to 
an  immense  pleasure-ground,  planted  with  trees,  laid  out  in 
drives  and  walks,  and  having  a  fine  sheet  of  water,  the  Serpen- 
tine River,  in  the  centre.  It  is  Hyde  Park.  There  is  a  review 
of  the  troops  going  on  at  the  lower  end.  We  walk  rapidly  to 
the  edge  of  the  crowd.  There  are  benches,  boards,  barrels, 
and  temporary  stands  of  every  description,  and  rapidly  as 
George  IIL,  in  Peter  Pindar,  men,  boys,  and  women  call  out 
to  us  "  nice  place,  gentlemen" — "  sixpence,  only  sixpence" — 
**  this  way" — "  fine  view,  gentlemen" — "  only  sixpence."  We 
get  upon  a  high  rickety  bench,  so  as  to  overlook  the  people  in 
front.  The  soldiers  are  marching,  wheeling,  and  firing  in  ad- 
mirable order,  and  the  tall  Coldstream  Guards  are  there. 
Luckily,  we  are  close  to  the  staff.  That  personage,  to  whom 
they  are  paying  so  much  attention  there,  is  a  foreign  prince,  in 
honor  of  whom  the  review  is  given.  The  cheerful,  contented- 
looking  lady  in  the  carriage,  slightly  below  the  medium  height, 
with  pleasant,  though  not  handsome  features,  and  moderately 
fiill,  rounded  form,  is  the  queen.  Mounted  at  the  head  of  the 
staff,  is  a  tall,  slightly-stooped  veteran,  with  gray  locks  and 
aquiline  features,  and  by  his  side  is  a  well-formed  general-officer 
of  about  thirty  years  of  age,  with  an  agreeable  German  face. 
The  former  is  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and  the  latter  is  Prince 
Albert. 

Not  having  seen  the  newly-elected  Parliament,  I  must  here 
request  the  reader,  in  imagination,  to  go  back  a  few  months 
and  accompany  me  on  a  visit  to  the  former  one,  during  one  of 
the  most  animated  debates  of  the  last  session. 

We  have  been  courteously  furnished  with  tickets  at  the 
American  minister's,  and  as  the  House  of  Lords  may  adjourn 
in  an  hour  or  so,  we  will  go  there  first. 

Entering  the  gallery,  we  get  a  first  glimpse  of  the  splendors 
of  their  new  hall,  altogether  the  finest  apartment,  in  conception 
and  decoration,  we  may  probably  see  in  Europe.     That  gi-eat 


Chap.  XLIV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  277 

cushion  affair  yonder  is  the  wool-sack,  as  it  is  termed,  on  which 
is  seated  the  president  or  lord  chancellor.  On  the  left  from  us 
we  notice  a  number  of  old  men  sitting  in  white  dresses.  They 
are  the  bench  of  bishops.  Altogether,  in  its  debates  and  every 
thing  else,  it  is  rather  a  quiet  place.  The  members  are  gener- 
ally aged,  gentlemanly-looking  men,  with  little  pretension  in  their 
dress.  Unlike  the  French  peers,  they  wear  no  uniform.  Lord 
Brougham  has  just  thundered  and  sat  down.  That  tall,  pleas- 
ant speaker,  somewhat  advanced,  is  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne, 
the  ministerial  leader,  making  explanations.  The  nervous, 
keen,  old  gentlemen,  in  the  white  robe,  that  follows  him,  is  the 
Bishop  of  Exeter.  Several  succeed.  But  there  is  to  be  a  set 
battle  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  we  will  make  the  best  of 
our  way  there.  They  have  not  yet  got  into  their  new  hall,  and 
we  are  crowded  into  a  rather  uncomfortable  gallery.  That 
sedate-looking  gentleman,  in  a  huge  gray  wig,  presiding,  is  the 
speaker,  and  the  curious  aff'air,  like  a  colossal  sceptre,  lying  on 
the  table  in  front  of  him,  is  the  mace — the  thing  that  Cromwell 
called  a  "  bauble."  They  are  more  careless-looking  and  noisy 
here  than  in  the  House  of  Lords.  The  stout  old  gentleman, 
fidgetting  over  some  papers  yonder,  is  the  unconquerable  and 
ever-plodding  Joseph  Hume,  the  useful  man  of  economy  and 
figures,  and  the  greatest  teaso  in  the  House.  He  has  called 
the  ministry  to  account  to-night,  by  a  grand  motion  condemn- 
ing their  policy  in  interfering  with  Portugal.  The  wiry-looking 
personage,  in  a  blue  frock-coat,  below  medium  height,  bald, 
with  projecting  eyebrows  and  restless  features,  not  preposses- 
sing, is  the  premier.  Lord  John  Russell.  Calmly  reposing  on 
one  of  the  opposition  benches,  is  a  middle-aged  gentleman, 
rather  tall,  with  a  broad  chest  and  forehead,  an  intelligent  and 
not  unpleasant  face,  that  our  neighbor  tells  us  is  Sir  Robert 
Peel. 

An  unpo})ular  member  makes  a  prosy  speech  in  opposition, 
and  half  the  members  go  out.     There  are  ironical  cheers  of  "  oh," 


278  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIV. 

**  oh."  Others  follow.  Presently,  a  manly  speaker,  slightly  ad- 
vanced, and  of  good  height,  rises,  and,  with  a  delicate  infu- 
sion of  sarcasm,  adroitly  and  plausibly,  makes  explanations. 
There  are  frequent  cries  of  "  hear,"  "  hear."  It  is  the  re- 
doubtable foreign  secretary,  Lord  Palmerston.  Then  come 
orators  of  lesser  note.  Lord  John  Russell  drops  a  few  clear, 
pointed  sentences.  Who  is  that  speaker  that  declaims  so 
wildly  against  the  ministers,  with  gesticulation  as  if  his  arms 
and  legs  were  of  India  rubber,  sometimes  so  extravagant 
as  to  make  the  whole  house  titter  1  Surely,  it  is  the  high 
tory.  Lord  George  Bentinck.  Now  comes  the  grand  per- 
formance of  the  evening.  Macaulay,  the  essayist,  who  so 
rarely  and  yet  so  eloquently  speaks,  as  one  of  the  ministry, 
rises  to  defend.  It  is  his  great  speech  for  the  session.  The 
members  come  rustling  quietly  into  their  places,  the  va- 
cant seats  are  filled,  the  crowds  in  the  galleries  lean  forward, 
and  the  audience  hang  breathlessly  upon  that  fascinating  voice, 
till  you  might  almost  hear  a  pin  drop.  He  is  thick-set,  moder- 
ately tall,  and  has  a  placid  face.  His  manner  is  elegant,  and 
his  sentences  are  so  honeyed,  and  he  betrays  so  much  warm 
special  pleading,  that  you  might  almost  fancy  he  was  declaim- 
ing one  of  his  own  essays.  How  beautifully  he  descants  upon 
the  history  of  the  treaties  with  Portugal  for  the  last  two  cen- 
turies ! 

We  see  by  the  turn  things  are  taking,  that  the  ministers  will 
concede  and  conciliate  a  little,  and  the  Times  of  to-morrow  will 
tell  us  Mr.  Hume's  motion  was  lost.  It  is  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning.     We  have  had  enough  for  one  evening. 

There,  the  spell  is  off  you,  and  you  are  by  your  own  fireside 
again.  Do  as  we  may,  London  makes  a  long  chapter.  Are 
you  nearly  asleep  ] 


Chap.  XLV.]  LOITERTNGS  IN  EUROPE.  279 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

A  Chapter  of  Fragments — Case  of  Rheumatism — Biitish  Association — Ox- 
ford— Yorkshire  Elections — Lake  Windermere — Coach-ride. 

England,  for  many  reasons,  is  more  familiar  to  Americans 
than  any  otlier  part  of  Europe.  Origin,  language,  literature, 
religion,  and  commerce,  have  all  contributed  to  this  end.  Owing, 
in  some  degree,  to  the  increased  facilities  for  traveling,  descrip- 
tions of  a  country  sustaining  such  a  relation  have  latterly  lost 
much  of  their  novelty.  They  are  almost  hke  tales  of  home. 
Delightfully  painted  in  part  by  our  own  Irving,  and  retouched 
every  year  by  crowds  of  eager  travelers,  it  has  scarcely  a  noble 
structure  or  city,  a  landscape  or  ruin,  whose  image  has  not  been 
distinctly  brought  out  in  the  picture.  Really  I  have  so  little 
space  left  of  that  originally  contemplated  for  these  sketches,  and 
this  portion  of  the  field  is  already  so  well-known,  that  I  am  dia^ 
posed  to  leave  out  the  more  common-place  matter,  and  collect 
from  my  notes  a  few  passages,  here  and  there,  affording  a  little 
variety,  so  as  to  make  up  a  chapter  of  fragments. 

There  was  to  be  a  grand  gathering  of  learned  characters 
from  all  parts  of  Europe  at  the  approaching  meeting  of  the 
British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  the  an- 
cient city  of  Oxford. 

Preparations  were  making  on  a  grand  scale. 

A  Swiss  friend,  a  graduate  of  one  of  the  German  universi- 
ties, and  therefore  scientific,  had  proposed  jestingly  that  himself 
and  I  should  constitute  two  of  the  "  distinguished  foreigners," 
as  he  termed  them,  present  on  the  occasion.  Fortunately,  a 
leading  member  of  one  of  the  learned  societies,  at  whose  quiet 


280  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLV. 

literary  breakfasts  we  had  sometimes  met,  gave  us  introduc- 
tions, and  the  jest  of  my  friend  at  length  began  to  assume  the 
prospect  of  sober  reality. 

There  are  slips,  however,  even  between  draughts  of  science 
and  the  lips.  The  morning  previous  to  our  intended  departure, 
my  companion  waked  stiff  and  moaning  with  rheumatism.  I 
almost  caught  the  disease  from  sympathy,  and  actually  checked 
two  or  three  half  groans.  But  I  fear  my  solicitude  was  largely 
selfish.  I  had  set  my  heart  on  going.  By  accident  I  had 
known  my  friend  in  Paris  and  Vienna ;  I  was  his  only  intimate 
acquaintance  in  London,  and  it  seemed  cruel  to  leave  him  sick 
among  strangers.  I  hesitated  long  between  temptation  and 
duty,  till,  with  a  long  visage,  by  a  spasmodic  effort,  I  was  at 
last  able  to  announce  my  intention  of  remaining  as  nurse  and 
physician.  But  the  weather  suddenly  grew  fine ;  in  our  anxi- 
ety we  had  overrated  the  case ;  and  the  fourth  morning  two 
strangers  might  have  been  seen  entering  a  railroad-car  at  Eus- 
ton  Square,  the  more  learned  one  limping  a  httle,  and  carrying 
a  pair  of  moustaches,  and  the  other  carrying  an  umbrella  and 
small  carpet-bag.  As  fast  as  an  express  train  could  carry  us, 
we  whirled  away  on  the  gi^eat  western  line,  through  green 
meadows,  past  luxuriant  wheat-fields,  sweet  cottages,  comfort- 
able old  farm-houses,  trim  hedges,  bushy  trees,  turnip-fields, 
lawns,  brickyards,  lordly  mansions,  manufactory  chimneys, 
seen  at  the  rate  of  from  forty  to  fifty  miles  an  hour,  and  leav- 
ing an  impression  very  much  like  this  sentence. 

At  length  the  cars  stopped,  and  we  entered  ancient,  quiet 
Oxford.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  level,  fertile  plain,  on 
the  banks  of  a  small  river,  and  the  first  impression  is  peculiar 
on  entering  a  city  where  nearly  one  fourth  of  the  population 
are  students,  or  members  of  colleges,  wearing  gowns,  and  with- 
in the  compass  of  whose  narrow  limits,  are  the  imposing  edi- 
fices of  some  twenty  colleges  and  five  halls,  besides  libraries, 
museums,  and  other  buildings. 


Chap.  XLV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  281 

The  British  Association,  whose  discussions  we  had  come  to 
attend,  was  organized,  as  most  may  be  aware,  some  fifteen 
years  since  at  York,  by  a  number  of  the  most  zealous  natural 
philosophers,  mathematicians,  and  practical  scientific  observers 
of  the  United  Kinsfdom.  Its  annual  meeting's  have  been 
changed  from  city  to  city,  so  as  to  give  an  opportunity  fjr  the 
most  liberal  extension  of  hospitality  to  distinguished  foreigners 
and  others  who  are  usually  present.  The  session  continues  for 
a  week.  Its  organization  is  most  complete.  The  whole  range 
of  investigation  is  divided  into  seven  sections  and  one  subsec- 
tion, corresponding  to  seven  leading  departments  of  science. 
These  divisions,  numbered  by  the  first  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
stand  in  the  following  order :  mathematical  and  physical  sci- 
ence ;  chemical  science,  with  its  application  to  agriculture  and 
the  arts ;  geology  and  physical  geogi'aphy ;  zoology  and  bot- 
any, with  the  subsection  of  ethnology  ;  physiology ;  statistics ; 
and  mechanical  science. 

Meetings  and  debates,  on  all  these  different  subjects,  were 
going  on  at  the  same  time,  in  separate  buildings  or  rooms,  each 
department  having  an  independent  organization  of  president, 
vice-president,  secretaiies,  and  committees  of  men  distinguished 
in  that  branch  of  science. 

Papers,  many  of  them  very  valuable,  from  learned  contribu- 
tors present,  were  first  read  and  then  courteously  discussed,  and 
afterward  printed  in  the  yearly  transactions  of  the  society. 

By  a  new  regultition,  ladies  were  admitted  as  spectators  at 
the  debates  in  all  the  sections.  The  meetings  were  exceed- 
ingly interesting  in  every  division,  and  the  visitors  veiy  numer- 
ous. Of  course,  the  celebrated  characters  present  formed  no 
inconsiderable  attraction.  Side  by  side,  hamioniously  labonng 
in  the  same  section,  might  be  seen  Le  VeiTier  and  Adams,  the 
rival  claimants  to  the  discovery  of  the  now  planet;  and  here,  too, 
were  to  be  found  the  IVIarquis  of  Northampton,  president  of  the 
Royal  Society,  the  Earl  of  llosse,  Sir  David  Brewster,  the 


282  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLV. 

Prussian  embassador,  the  Russian  astronomer  Struve,  and  Sir 
James  Ross,  the  navigator.  In  the  geological  section  were 
seen  Dr.  Buckland,  Sir  R.  J.  Murchison,  Mr.  Lyell,  tho 
Prussian  naturalist  Ehrenberg,  Professor  Nilsson  of  Stock- 
holm, and  many  others.  Professor  Owen,  the  Cuvier  of  Eng- 
land, and  Milne  Edwards,  the  great  French  naturalist,  were  en- 
listed together  in  the  department  of  physiology  ;  and  associated 
in  the  division  congenial  to  their  literary  pursuits,  were  Mr. 
Bancroft,  the  American  mniister,  and  Mr.  Hall  am,  the  his- 
torian. From  his  decided  resemblance  in  face  to  Napoleon, 
his  winning  manners,  and  his  discoveries  in  science,  the  prin- 
cipal lion  of  the  occasion,  perhaps,  was  the  younger  Lucien 
Bonaparte,  prince  of  Canino.  Frequent  festivities  and  liberal 
hospitalities  relieved  at  times  the  graver  pursuits  of  science. 
The  colleges  and  every  place  of  interest  in  Oxford,  and  the 
seats  of  the  nobility  in  the  neighborhood,  were  fi'eely  thrown 
open  to  the  members  of  the  Association. 

In  every  sense  of  the  word  it  proved  a  most  delightful  affair. 

My  friend  and  I  took  occasion  to  inspect  the  vast  literary 
treasures  of  the  Bodleian  Library,  the  edifice  and  the  pleasant 
grounds  of  Magdalen  College,  and  some  others,  and  rising  one 
morning  very  early,  we  went  to  prayers  with  the  students,  and 
listened  to  the  chanting  in  the  magnificent  chapel  of  New 
College. 

***** 

It  was  a  pleasant  calm  evening  as  I  wound  amid  fields  of 
grain  and  cheerful  prospects,  and  entered  at  last  the  ancient 
town  of  Pontefract,  in  Yorkshire. 

I  had  turned  aside  from  the  main  route  to  fulfill  a  duty  richly 
owed  to  an  aged  and  valued  friend  in  America,  and  to  visit 
in  person  his  son. 

The  conveyance  had  scarcely  stopped  at  the  inn,  when  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  grasping  his  hand.  The  generous  hospitality 
of  my  new  friend  soon  left  me  nothing  to  desire.     I  had  made 


Chap.  XLV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  283 

arrangements  to  leave  almost  immediately,  but  I  found  it  im- 
possible to  escape  for  two  or  three  days,  at  least.  So  1  accept- 
ed the  invitation  of  my  host  to  stay  and  busy  myself  as  a  spec- 
tator at  the  elections  there  and  at  the  neighboring  town  of 
Leeds.     The  latter  came  off  first. 

The  day  previous  to  the  voting,  there  is  always  a  preparatory 
muster  of  the  electors.  The  candidates  present  themselves 
upon  a  platform,  and  make  speeches  setting  forth  their  senti- 
ments; after  which  the  returning  officer  calls  for  the  show  of 
hands,  gives  his  opinion  as  to  the  majority,  and  the  weaker 
party,  if  greatly  in  the  minority,  sometimes  gives  up  the  contest 
at  this  stage,  so  that  the  election  takes  place  by  acclamation. 
But  in  case  either  party  wishes  it,  the  contest  may  be  carried 
to  the  polls  and  scrutiny  of  votes. 

Early  the  following  day,  I  took  the  conveyance,  and  in  aa 
hour  after  was  pressing,  with  an  immense  multitude,  through 
the  streets  of  Leeds,  toward  a  common,  a  little  way  out  of  the 
town.  Three  candidates  were  in  the  field  ;  Mr.  Beckett,  a 
wealthy  gentleman  of  the  neighborhood,  and  moderate  tory ; 
Mr.  Marshall,  an  extensive  manufacturer,  on  the  whig  interest, 
and  in  favor  of  Lord  John  Russell's  plan  for  national  educa- 
tion ;  and  Joseph  Sturge,  the  Quaker  corn-merchant,  of  Bir- 
mingham, on  the  Radical  interest,  and  against  the  government 
education  scheme.  Two  members  were  to  be  returned,  and 
the  contest  was  so  equal  that  neither  of  the  three  parties  seemed 
sure  of  victory.  I  found  an  immense  concourse  gathered  at 
the  place.  Each  candidate  had  his  followers  distinguished  by 
a  little  slip  of  ribbon  of  a  particular  color,  with  the  name  and 
a  motto,  as  a  badge.  Horses,  cabs,  and  even  ragged  boys, 
took  sides.  Tiie  numbers  wearing  blue  and  "  Becket  for- 
ever," pink  and  "  Marshall  and  Education,"  and  orange  and 
"  Sturge  and  Freedom,"  were  nearly  equal.  Much  courtesy 
and  manly  feeling  were  shown  by  the  candidates.  All  tliree 
speeches   were  respectable,  but  1  fancied  that,  in  fluency  and 


^84  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLV. 

tact  in  appealing  to  a  crowd,  the  sincere-looking  Quaker  had 
the  advantage. 

Returning  to  Pontefract  in  the  evening,  I  managed  to  get 
into  the  thickest  of  the  excitement  of  the  Leeds  election,  next 
day. 

The  qualifications  for  voting  at  the  English  county  elections 
are,  the  possession  of  an  estate  v^^orth  forty  shillings  a  year,  or 
the  payment  of  fifty  pounds  rent  as  a  tenant ;  and  in  the  bor- 
oughs or  towns,  the  occupation  of  premises  worth  ten  pounds 
per  annum.  The  elector  declares  aloud  the  name  of  the  per- 
son for  whom  he  votes.  County  elections  last  two  days,  and 
town  or  borough  elections  but  one  day.  Of  course  there  is  in- 
tense activity. 

The  good  people  of  Leeds  were  in  a  perfect  uproar.  Cabs 
and  carriages  conveying  voters  were  flying  about  at  a  furious 
rate.  To  save  appearances,  all  these  matters  are  managed,  at 
the  expense  of  each  candidate,  by  committees  of  his  friends. 

Till  near  evening  it  was  doubtful  how  the  contest  would  ter- 
minate. The  Messrs.  Baines,  father  and  son,  and  a  powerful 
dissenting  interest,  were  for  Sturge. 

But  their  fiery  candidate,  in  an  anti-slavery  excursion  to  the 
West  Indies,  had  in  some  way  said  offensive  things  of  those 
faithful  laborers,  the  Wesleyan  Missionaries.  Leeds  is  one  of 
the  strong  holds  of  Methodism,  and  Mr.  Sturge  paid  the  penalty. 
His  friends  tried  to  explain  away  the  matter ;  but  the  attack 
had  been  too  pointed.  Sunset  brought  a  clear  majority  for 
Beckett  and  Marshall.  Things  soon  became  quiet;  all  the 
faces  in  the  streets  seemed  very  sad  or  very  joyous  ;  and  I  hast- 
ened home  to  Pontefi'act. 

Next  day  a  conflict  commenced  on  a  smaller  scale,  but  with 
equal  spirit,  at  the  latter  place.  One  of  the  sitting  members, 
though  otherwise  agi^eeable  to  the  majority  of  the  constituency, 
had  given  great  offense  by  voting  for  the  Maynooth  grant. 

My  hospitable  friend  was  the  ex-mayor  of  the  town,  and  nat- 


Chap.  XLV.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  285 

urally  active  in  assisting  to  keep  order.  The  returning  officer 
read  tlie  wiit,  as  also  the  statute  against  bribery.  There  was  a 
pleasing  independence  and  liberality  manifested  in  the  election 
speeches.  I  had  seen  Lord  John  Russell,  at  the  London  Tav- 
ern, silenced  for  half  an  hour  by  tumultuous  disapprobation  of 
certain  unpopular  measures ;  and  the  discussions  at  Leeds  and 
Pontefract  were  exceedingly  free.  The  contest  was  very 
doubtful,  but  at  last  the  two  more  liberal  candidates  were  de- 
clared members  for  Pontefract.  Chairs,  all  garnished  with 
ribbons,  were  brought  forth,  and  they  were  paraded  on  the 
top  of  a  carriage  in  triumph  round  the  town.  Accidentally,  a 
poor  fellow,  shghtly  intoxicated,  fell  with  his  head  beneath  one 
of  the  wheels.  The  festivities  were  suddenly  stopped.  With 
another,  I  w^as  called  to  tell  the  crowd,  professionally,  that  he 
was  dead.     The  day  that  commenced  boisterously  and  cheerily 

ended  sadly. 

***** 

Some  five  months'  imprisonment  amid  the  hospitals  of  Lon- 
don, and  flying  visits  to  thronged  Liveipool  and  busy,  smoky 
Manchester,  made  me  long  for  retired  silvan  scenery.  I 
had  fixed  my  heart  on  a  tour  among  the  lakes  of  Westmore- 
land and  Cumberland  ;  and  one  sunny  afternoon,  as  we  wound 
pleasantly  among  green  hills,  all  at  once,  calmly  and  brightly 
opened  upon  us  the  vision  of  Lake  WindeiTnere.  It  was  lovely 
as  a  poet's  dream.  During  my  sojourn  at  Ambleside  I  fairly 
reveled  in  beauty.  Sometimes  I  climbed  to  the  top  of  Lough- 
rigg  Fell,  to  sit  for  hours  looking  down  at  this  "river  lake," 
winding  among  a  paradise  of  islands,  like  a  broad  peaceful 
stream  of  Eden,  or  I  strolled  away  toward  Wordsworth's  resi- 
dence at  Rydal  Mount.  The  scenery  all  round  Windermere  is 
bewitching. 

On  a  calm,  clear  evening  we  made  the  tour  of  the  lake  in  a 
tiny  steamer,  with  a  band  of  music.  It  lies  sweetly  embosomed 
by  receding  hills.     Every  turn    unfolded  something   pleasing. 


286  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLV. 

Stately  mansions,  in  the  form  of  castles,  Grecian  temples,  and 
pretty  architectural  devices,  peeped  from  behind  luxuiiant 
groves.  The  smoke  of  peaceful  cottages,  the  sight  of  contented 
herds,  the  dying  fall  of  music  on  the  waters,  and  twilight  softly 
tinging  all  around,  soothed  me  into  a  dreamy  revery. 

Next  morning  I  made  an  early  pilgrimage  to  the  Dove's 
Nest,  once  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Hemans.  She  was  a  favorite 
of  my  childhood  and  had  brought  from  me  very  early  the  tribute 
of  tears.  I  stole  up  to  the  hedge  on  the  roadside  and,  as  almost 
the  only  mementoes  of  travel,  plucked  a  few  blue-bells  and 
honeysuckles,  thinking  the  while  of  her  own  beautiful  lay, 
*'  Bring  Flowers." 

Soon  after  I  was  careering  through  a  lovely  country  west- 
ward, on  the  top  of  a  coach.  Almost  every  scene  had  been 
consecrated  by  the  poetry  of  Wordsworth.  One  by  one,  va- 
rying in  form  and  aspect,  came  Rydal  Lake,  Grassmere,  and 
Thirlmere,  till  at  last  we  descended  to  the  lovely  Derwentwater. 
After  catching  a  glance  of  the  former  romantic  residence  of 
Southey,  and  looking  about  Keswick  a  httle,  we  were  on  the. 
road  again,  and  passing  by  the  pleasant  lake  Bassenthwaite, 
we  soon  rested  at  Cockmouth.  Then  by  a  gloomier  ride  along 
the  seashore  we  reached  in  the  evening  the  ancient  border  city 
of  Carlisle. 


Chap.  XLVL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EIROPE.  287 


CHAPTER  XLVL 

Meeting  on  a  Bridge — Attractive  Scenery — Edinburgh. 

Lr  was  in  crossino^  the  bridpre  over  the  Tweed  at  the  old  for- 
tress-town  of  Berwick,  after  a  lonesome  journey  from  Newcas- 
tle, that  I  stumbled  upon  a  couj^le  of  delightful  friends,  that  I 
supposed  were  paying  their  respects  to  the  sultan,  or  rowing  up 
the  Nile. 

But  steam  had  wrought  a  pleasant  disappointment.  It  was 
a  feat  in  the  way  of  fast  traveling.  We  had  parted  on  the 
Danube,  they  for  Turkey  and  the  East,  and  I  for  England,  and, 
as  by  a  sort  of  witchcraft,  we  unexpectedly  met  over  the  middle 
of  a  stream  between  two  kingdoms. 

Our  entry  into  Scotland  on  the  opposite  bank  was  quite  tri- 
umphant. We  took  places  together  in  a  car  for  the  north,  and 
laughed  and  chatted  ^the  whole  way,  hardly  looking  at  any 
other  scenery  than  the  bright  spots  and  inequalities  of  each 
other's  faces.  The  little  portion  of  earth  that  we  noticed  out- 
side seemed  carefully  cultivated  like  England,  only  the  hedge- 
rows were  not  so  very  green,  and  the  ornamental  trees  were 
not  quite  so  luxuriant. 

At  length  we  came  to  Dunbar.  It  was  in  the  Castle,  close 
to  the  town,  that  Edward  11.  found  refuge  after  the  battle  of 
Bannockburn.  Farther  on  we  skirted  the  batllc-licld  of  Pres- 
ton, where  a  descendant  of  the  Stuarts  with  the  Highlanders 
defeated  the  English  troops.  Leaving  Haddington  and  Mus- 
selburgh behind,  we  at  last  caught  a  glimpse  of  queenly  Ediii- 
burgli.  There  is  no  city  in  Europe  that,  from  its  situation,  is 
so  imposing.  Prague  comes  nearest  it,  but  lacks  the  view  of 
a  mountain  on  the  one  hand  and  ocean  on  the  other.     It  crowns 


288  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLVI. 

a  group  of  hills  intersected  by  ravines,  scarcely  half  filled  by 
art,  and  the  houses  in  the  old  part  of  the  town  are  so  very  lofty 
and  rise,  tier  above  tier,  so  proudly,  that  even  the  crowded 
dwellings  of  the  poor,  with  their  steep,  antiquated  roofs  look 
grand  at  a  distance.  The  prospect  from  the  Castle,  or  Gal- 
lon Hill,  is  splendid.  Nearer  are  seen  the  softer  acclivities  of 
the  Pentland  and  Lammermoor  hills,  and  more  distant  the 
bleaker  summits  of  the  Ochils  and  Grampians.  On  the  very 
edge  of  the  city  looms  up  proudly  the  cone  of  Arthur's  Seat. 
And  there,  as  it  laves  the  shore  a  couple  of  miles,  you  seem  to 
look  down  upon  the  Frith  of  Forth. 

In  the  new  part  of  the  town  the  streets  are  wide  and  magnif- 
icent, though  almost  as  primly  regular,  in  places,  as  those  of  the 
Quaker  city  of  Philadelphia. 

High  above  the  old  town,  as  a  conspicuous  object  to  the 
whole  city,  frowns  the  Castle,  on  a  precipitous  rock,  rising 
above  the  level  of  the  sea  nearly  four  hundred  feet.  The  only 
gradual  approach  is  on  the  eastern  side.  It  has  been  a  for- 
tress from  time  immemorial,  and  from  the  children  of  the  an- 
cient sovereigns  being  brought  up  there,  it  was  termed  the 
"Camp  of  Maidens." 

In  the  vicissitudes  of  war  it  was  taken  twice  from  the  En- 
glish by  the  Scottish  forces,  by  stratagem.  The  first  time  a 
picked  band  under  the  daring  Earl  of  Moray  crept  stealthily,  in 
the  dead  of  night,  from  crevice  to  crevice,  up  the  perpendicular 
precipice,  with  a  short  ladder,  under  the  guidance  of  a  desper- 
ate soldier,  who  had  learned  this  secret  and  apparently  utterly 
impracticable  passage,  and,  shouting  their  war  cry,  rushed  on  and 
overpowered  the  slumbering  garrison.  The  second  exploit  was 
less  romantic.  A  warrior  pretended  to  turn  merchant,  negotia- 
ted with  the  governor  to  supply  a  cargo  of  provisions,  and  was 
accompanied  by  a  dozen  armed  followers  in  the  disguise  of 
sailors,  who,  when  the  gates  opened  to  receive  their  goods,  over- 
turned a  carriage  to  prevent  their  bein,G^  shut,  and  being  suddenly 


Chap.  XLVL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  289 

reinforced  by  Sir  William  Douglas  and  a  i^arty  in  ambush,  soon, 
overpowered  the  defenders  of  the  castle. 

By  the  Articles  of  Union,  this  fortress,  and  three  others,  must 
always  be  kept  up  and  garrisoned. 

In  one  of  the  apartments  are  kept  the  crown  and  regalia  of 
Scotland,  discovered  accidentally  after  a  concealment  of  gen- 
erations. 

Upon  one  of  the  battlements  is  the  huge  ancient  piece  of 
ordnance,  "  Mons  Meg,"  nearly  large  enough  for  a  man  to 
creep  in  and  hide  himself 

As  you  come  down  High-street  to  Canongate,  a  queer-look- 
ing old  building  is  pointed  out  to  you,  with  a  pulpit  outside, 
and  an  effigy  of  a  preacher  in  it,  and  you  are  told  it  is  the 
house  of  John  Knox.  Above  the  door  are  the  nearly  obliter- 
ated remains  of  the  following  pious  inscription,  traced,  probably, 
under  the  special  direction  of  the  great  reformer  : 

LUFE.   GOD.   ABOVE.   AL.   AXD.    YOUR.    NICHBOUR.   AS.   TOUR.    SELF. 

Standing  near  the  borders  of  the  old  and  new  town,  and 
rather  within  the  latter,  i.s  the  splendid  monument  to  Sir 
Walter  Scott.  It  is  visible  from  nearly  every  part  of  the  city. 
But  its  details  are,  doubtless,  too  familiar,  from  plates  and  de- 
scriptions, to  need  repeating. 

Perched  above  the  new  town,  like  the  Castle  above  the  old, 
are  the  monument  and  observatory  upon  Calton  Hill.  It  forms 
a  delightful  promenade. 

The  attempt  to  commemorate  the  heroes  of  Waterloo,  by 
crowninjT  the  "  Modern  Athens"  with  a  copy  of  the  Parthenon, 
unfortunately  failed  for  want  of  funds. 

It  is  easy  to  see,  in  the  noble  university  buildings,  and  its 
numerous  edifices  for  pubHc  worship  and  charity,  an  index  of 
the  literary  and  moral  habits  of  the  citizens. 

Placed  in  a  rather  lowly  situation  for  the  ordinary  tastes  of 
royalty,  is  the  moldering  and  lonely  palace  of  Holyrood.     Did 

N 


290  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLVI. 

you  believe  in  such  things,  you  could  almost  fancy  it  to  be 
haunted.  Its  castellated  towers  give  it  a  military  appearance, 
in  keeping  with  the  character  of  the  history  of  its  ancient  ten- 
ants.    The  precise  date  of  its  foundation  is  unknown. 

By  the  side  of  it,  and  seeming  almost  to  form  part  of  it,  are 
the  unroofed  walls  of  an  ancient  abbey,  erected  by  David  I., 
according  to  tradition,  after  a  miraculous  escape ;  and  illus- 
trating the  prodigality  of  that  prince  to  the  clergy,  which  made 
one  of  his  successors  say  he  was  a  "  sore  saint  for  a  crown." 
The  place  is  all  in  ruins,  and  in  its  inclosure  are  still  the  dilapi- 
dated tombs  of  some  of  the  Scottish  kings  and  nobility. 

In  one  part  of  the  palace  is  a  rather  apocryphal  collection 
of  2:>ortraits  of  more  than  a  hundred  of  the  Scottish  sovereigns. 
I3ut  by  far  the  most  interesting  portion  are  the  apartments  oc- 
cupied by  the  beautiful  and  unfortunate  Queen  Mary.  You 
are  shown  her  sleeping  apartments,  and  the  bed,  just  as  left  by 
her,  nearly  three  centuries  since.  There  are  some  of  the  im- 
plements of  her  toilet. 

You  enter  the  little  cabinet  where  the  Italian  Rizzio  and 
two  or  three  friends  were  supping  with  the  queen,  when  her 
cruel  and  jealous  husband  rushed  in,  and,  with  his  armed  fol- 
lowers, dragged  the  object  of  their  hatred  into  the  adjoining 
apartment,  and  butchered  him,  regardless  of  the  tears  and  en- 
treaties of  the  queen.  The  black  blood-stains  in  the  floor,  where 
the  body  lay,  in  one  corner,  either  preserved  or  renewed,  are 
still  pointed  out,  and  remind  you  of  the  horrid  details  of  the 
atrocious  deed. 


Chap.  XLVII.]  LOlTERliNGS  IN  EUROPE.  201 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

Koute  to  Glasgow — The  Clyde — Loch   Lomond — Rob  Roy's  Rock — Race 
after  a  Pony — Loch  Katrine — Stirling  Castle — Banuockbiu-n. 

I  Wxvs  Strolling  about,  with  happy  groups,  on  the  top  of 
Calton  Hill,  looking  at  the  beautiful  world  below,  when  I  per- 
ceived that  five  minutes'  delay  would  make  me  miss  the  train  ; 
and  I  set  off,  at  a  furious  pace,  for  the  station.  Then  came  a 
rush  in  a  crowd — a  last  look  at  baggage — a  whistle,  and  a  puff 
or  two,  and  we  were  flying  away  at  rapid  speed  from  Edin- 
burgh. A  stormy  election  discussion  among  three  or  four 
beside  me,  the  fiery  fumes  and  gallant  words  of  a  militaiy 
character,  who  had  taken  too  much  "mountain  dew"  after 
dinner,  and  occasional  glances  at  tlie  well-tilled  country,  occu- 
pied the  attention  till  we  reached  the  old  town  of  Linlithgow. 
Then,  skirting  tlie  battle-field  of  Falkirk,  in  less  than  two  hours 
from  the  time  we  started,  we  were  in  Glasgow. 

In  its  bustling  activity,  and  modern  appearance,  this  great 
commercial  emporium  strongly  reminded  me  of  some  of  our 
American  cities.  It  owes  its  prosperity  mainly  to  its  trade 
with  the  West  Indies  and  America,  and  its  immense  manufac- 
tures in  cotton  and  iron.  In  po})ulation,  as  most  may  be  aware, 
it  is  now  the  third  city  of  the  Li^nited  Kingdom.  The  Clyde, 
which  was  formerly  not  navigable  to  the  city,  except  by  shallow 
craft,  has  been  deepened  several  feet,  artificially,  for  miles,  and 
so  as  to  admit  ships  drawing  fifteen  feet  water. 

Early  one  pleasant  morning,  I  was  panting  to  get  a  down- 
ward passage  in  one  of  the  Clyde  steamers,  that  tlireatened  to 
leave  me  to  my  reflections  on  sliore.  I  succeeded.  Sitting 
down,  I  cooled  my  perspiration  in  looking  over  the  election 


292  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLVII. 

news,  and  then  walked  the  deck,  looking  at  the  banks  of  the 
river.  Some  of  the  prospects  were  beautiful.  The  stream, 
the  channel  of  so  much  commerce,  however,  was  here  like  a 
very  wide  canal ;  and,  contrary  to  my  expectations,  it  was  lined 
with  extensive  estates,  and  seemed  rather  solitary.  The  coffee 
for  breakfast  was  villainous — a  mere  watery  decoction,  instead 
of  the  aromatic  infusion.  They  did  not  seem  used  to  so  much 
company  on  board,  and  the  cabin  was  too  small.  I  had  left  my 
former  traveling  companions  in  Edinburgh,  and  I  felt  lonely. 
Looking  round,  I  saw  a  lady  and  gentleman,  whom  I  took  to 
be  Americans  on  a  wedding  tour.  Those  who  have  not  wan- 
dered months  or  years  from  home  have  no  conception  of  the 
feeling  which  a  kindred  human  face,  or  the  slightest  memorial, 
may  sometimes  inspire.  I  was  desperate,  and,  at  all  hazards, 
determined  on  civilly  breaking  the  ice.  Just  then,  however, 
we  approached  the  splendid  scenery  of  the  Castle  of  Dunbar- 
ton.  It  crowns  an  isolated  mountain  of  basaltic  rock,  appear- 
ing to  rise  steeply  out  of  the  waters.  The  Clyde  and  its  trib- 
utary, the  Leven,  wash  the  greater  portion  of  its  base,  and  it 
is  supposed  anciently  to  have  been  surrounded  by  water.  Of 
course  it  is  a  military  position  of  great  strength,  and  its  position, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  estuary  of  the  Clyde,  makes  it  to 
Glasgow  what  Tilbury  Fort  is  to  London. 

Landing  at  the  town  of  Dunbarton,  we  took  the  omnibus 
along  the  valley  of  the  Leven.  I  happened  to  sit  next  the 
American  gentleman,  and  discovered,  to  my  great  delight,  that 
he  was  a  fellow-townsman,  known  by  rej^utation,  but  not  by 
sight.     The  lady  in  charge  was  a  sister. 

I  fancy  that  Eden  was,  after  all,  a  much  more  pleasant  place 
after  the  accession  of  our  graceful  mother.  Eve.  The  lovely 
banks  of  the  Leven  were  certainly  vastly  improved  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  tasteful  and  happy  lady.  A  party  of  four  of  us 
shortly  after  formed  an  agreeable  traveling  acquaintance,  and 
the  fortunes  of  the  day  from  that  moment  improved. 


Chap.  XLVIL]  LOITERLNGS  IN  EUROPE.  293 

The  river  Leven  is  the  outlet  to  Loch  Lomond  ;  and,  alter  a 
ride  of  an  hour,  we  suddenly  came  in  sight  of  the  "  Queen  of 
the  Scottish  Lakes."  Embarking  on  board  a  small  steamer, 
we  were  soon  floating  past  its  beautiful  wooded  islands. 

Loch  Lomond,  like  Lake  Lucerne,  presents,  at  one  extremity, 
scenery  soft  and  rich,  gradually  succeeded  by  the  wild  and 
sublime.  At  first  it  expands  to  the  width  of  seven  miles  ;  and, 
varying  in  form  and  size,  are  here  clustered  some  thirty  fairy 
islands,  with  names  derived  from  the  romantic  legends  of  High- 
land chivalry.  "We  veered  from  one  side  of  the  lake  to  the 
other,  through  the  midst  of  these,  and  stopped  at  the  little  town 
of  Luss.  Leaving  the  prospect  of  its  little  cottages,  inn,  and 
church  behind,  we  escaped  from  the  lovely  maze  of  islands, 
and  the  lake  began  to  gi'ow  narrow  and  stern.  The  shores 
were  less  wooded,  and  more  wildly  rugged. 

On  the  right,  rising,  as  it  were,  from  the  very  waters,  Ben 
Lomond,  like  an  advanced  sentinel  of  the  Highland  peaks, 
towers  to  the  height  of  more  than  three  thousand  feet.  Across 
the  lake,  beyond  Tarbet,  is  seen  the  notched  summit  of  Ben 
Arthur. 

All  this  region  has  been  made  classic  by  the  genius  of  Scott. 
Every  spot  has  its  legends.  There  is  a  shelving  rock,  over- 
hanging the  lake,  where  the  chivalric  freebooter,  Rob  Roy,  is 
said  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of  administerinc:  cold  baths  to 
his  more  refractory  prisoners,  by  means  of  a  rope  tied  round 
the  body ;  and,  if  these  were  not  eftectual,  they  were  followed 
by  a  hint  that  the  rope  would  be  loosened,  and  placed  round 
the  neck. 

Beyond  Taibet,  we  came  to  the  mill  and  tumbling  cascade 
at  Liversnaid.  This  was  the  patrimony  of  Rob  Roy,  from 
which  he,  by  some  legal  process,  was  rudely  dispossessed ;  and 
thus  driven  to  lead  the  life  of  a  desperate  but  high-minded 
outlaw.     Close  to  this  is  Rob  Roy's  Cave,  long  liis  hiding-place. 

Loch  Lomond   is   nearly  thirty  miles   in   length.     We   con- 


294  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLVII. 

tinued  our  voyage  to  the  upper  extremity,  a  little  above  this, 
and  then  returned  to  Inversnaid  for  a  pony  ride  over  the  hills 
to  Loch  Katrine.  My  fiiend  took  charge  of  the  baggage  and 
rear-guard ;  and  my  lot  was  to  scramble  up  hill,  ahead  of  the 
dangerous  crowd  of  competitors,  and  charter  the  animals.  It 
was  a  laughable  race.  I  was  hotly  pursued  by  a  military  char- 
acter— an  incipient,  good-natured  FalstafF,  whose  fat  did  not 
prevent  him  from  being  fleet.  Either  my  thinness,  or  the  con- 
sciousness of  serving  a  lady,  gave  me  the  victory,  and  the  prize 
was  a  solitary  pony,  the  only  one  left  by  previous  travelers. 
He  was  a  hardy  Highlander,  and  the  master  offered  to  convey 
three  of  our  party  in  a  tolerable  vehicle.  Our  anticipated  ride 
on  horseback  was  abandoned,  and  we  toiled  on  wheels  over  the 
hills,  passing,  occasionally,  little  Highland  cabins,  of  stones,  half 
buried  in  earth.  At  last  Loch  Katrine  and  a  little  steamer  lay 
beneath  us,  and  we  jolted  furiously  down  the  hill,  and  em- 
barked. Loch  Katrine  is  more  beautiful  in  the  poetry  of  Scott 
than  in  prosy  daylight. 

There  are  fond  illusions  we  are  loth  to  lose.  Instead  of 
giving  my  own  impression,  that  the  shores  were  somewhat  cold- 
ly barren,  except  the  beautiful  isle  and  the  lovely  scenery  at  the 
eastern  end,  I  had  rather  shut  my  eyes,  and  mutter  warmly — 

"  Gleamnig  with  the  setting  sun, 
One  burnished  sheet  of  living  gold, 
Loch  Katrine  lay  beneath  him  roll'd  : 
In  all  her  length  far  winding  lay, 
With  promontoiy,  creek,  and  bay, 
And  islands  that,  empurpled  bright, 
Floated  amid  a  livelier  light ; 
And  mountains  that,  like  giants,  stand, 
To  sentinel  enchanted  land  ; 
High  on  the  south,  huge  Benvenue 
Down  on  the  lake  in  masses  threw^ 
Orag3,  knolls,  and  mounds,  confusedly  hurled, 
The  fragments  of  an  eai'lier  world." 


Chap.  XLVIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  295 

In  fact,  Loch  Katrine  owes  most  of  its  charms  to  the  witch- 
ing poetry  of  the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake."  It  is  scarcely  one- 
fourth  the  size  of  Loch  Lomond. 

Soon  after,  we  breasted  the  fairy  island  where  the  knight 
Fitz-James,  in  the  poem,  started  the  skiff  of  the  beautiful 
maiden.  Landing  at  the  narrow  eastern  extremity,  we  ob- 
tained a  conveyance  through  the  Trosachs  (bristled  territory), 
amid  wildly  diversified  Highland  scenery.  The  smaller  lakes, 
Achray  and  Venachar,  disappeared ;  and  we  passed  the  s^^ot 
where,  at  the  signal  of  their  chief,  the  five  hundred  men  rose 
and  disappeared  from  his  astonished  guest  ;  and  the  place 
where  Fitz-Jaraes,  in  single  combat,  overcame  Roderic  Dim. 

At  last  we  entered  the  borders  of  the  Lowlands,  and  obtained 
quarters  at  the  inn  of  the  little  town  of  Calander.  Having  re- 
ligiously conformed  to  the  manners  of  the  people,  and  eaten 
maccaroni  at  Naples,  and  sour-crout  at  Vienna,  I  luckily  re- 
membered to  call  for  Highland  fare.  Dried  oatmeal  cakes  and 
milk  were  brought,  among  other  things  ;  but  it  was  a  failure. 
AVe  might  as  well  have  tiied  to  rival  the  Spartans  in  eating 
black  broth. 

The  English  and  Scottish  coaches  have  but  four  seats  inside, 
and  about  twice  as  many  outside.  The  latter,  in  fine  weather, 
are  preferable.  We  had  no  choice,  as  the  inside  places  were 
taken.  Next  morning  brought  a  pelting  storm.  We  had  en- 
gaged our  seats  over  night,  and,  from  pressing  engagements,  wo 
could  not  delay.  We  rode  all  the  way  to  Stirling,  enveloped 
in  shawls,  great-coats,  and  umbrellas. 

The  rain  at  last  ceased.  We  deposited  our  effects  at  the 
hotel,  and  walked  up  to  the  Castle,  once  a  favorite  retreat  of 
the  Scottish  kings,  and  famous  for  its  historical  associations. 
Here  the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  with  the  magic  nng,  sought 
the  monarch,  to  intercede  for  her  father ;  here  James  II.  mur- 
dered the  Earl  of  Douglas  ;  here  the  beautiful  and  unfortunate 
Mary  was  made  queen  ;  and   here  John  Knox   preached   the 


296  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLVII. 

coronation  sermon  of  James  VI.  It  is  a  perfect  museum  of 
antiquities.  The  prospect  from  this  castle  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  world.  It  is  situated  on  the  top  of  a  very  lofty,  isolated 
rock,  rising  from  the  rich  valley  of  the  Forth  ;  the  Highlands 
skirting  the  horizon;  the  fields^ checkered  with  green  meadow 
or  yellow  grain. 

The  windings  of  the  noble  river,  till  lost  in  the  distance, 
present  plea,sing  contrasts,  scarcely  surpassed.  No  less  than 
twelve  battle-fields  are  in  sioht. 

o 

Leaving  Stirling,  I  reluctantly  parted  with  my  excellent  com- 
pany. My  route  lay  over  the  field  of  Bannockburn,  where 
Bruce,  with  vastly  inferior  forces,  defeated  the  English,  under 
Edward  II.  The  spot  where  the  cavalry  were  beguiled  into 
the  pits,  and  the  place  where  the  women  and  old  men,  dressed 
up  as  a  reinforcement,  to  frighten  the  invading  army,  are  still 
shown. 

After  a  coach  ride  southward,  through  a  pleasant  country,  I 
took  the  cars,  and  reached  Glasgow  in  the  evenhig. 


CiiAP.  XLVIIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  2f)7 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

Prison  at  Sea — Belfast — Politics  iu  a  Coach — DrogheJa — Dublin — Phcpuix 
Park — Trinity  College. 

The  sun  was  calmly  setting,  as,  with  a  crowd  of  passengers, 
I  stood  on  the  deck  of  a  steamer,  bidding  adieu  to  the  cottoa 
mills  and  tall  chimneys  of  Glasgow.  We  sped  rapidly  down 
the  Clyde.  Night  and  a  storm  of  rain  came  on  ;  and,  in  a  few 
hours,  we  were  tossing  about  desperately  in  the  Irish  Sea. 
The  salt  spray  was  dashing  over  the  decks,  and  the  people 
below  wei-e  paying  their  sick  tribute  to  Neptune.  I  had  picked 
up,  to  read  on  the  passage,  "  My  Prisons,"  by  Silvio  PelHco  J 
and  I  really  fancied  that  the  poor  man  had  escaped  one  mis- 
fortune, at  least,  in  never  having  been  imprisoned,  during  a 
storm,  in  the  close  cabin  of  a  ship.  Stretching  myself  in  my 
berth,  I  was  rather  rudely  rocked  asleep. 

Next  morning,  from  a  rough  sea,  we  caught  a  sight  of  the 
hills  of  Antrim. 

"We  entered  a  gradually  contracting  arm  of  the  sea,  at  the 
liead  of  which  were  seen  the  shipping  and  lofty  houses  of 
Belfast.  Getting  comfortable  (|uarters  at  the  hotel,  I  spent 
most  of  the  day  in  strolling  about  the  town.  It  is  a  place  of 
much  commercial  activity,  sustaining  a  relation  to  Ireland  hko 
Liverpool  and  Glasgow  to  England  and  Scotland. 

The  harbor  is  formed  by  the  estuary  of  the  river  Lagan, 
connected  by  a  canal  with  Lough  Neagh,  a  few  miles  in  the 
interior. 

Taking  an  inside  scat  in  the  coach  for  Dublin,  toward  even- 
ing, in  company  with  three  gentlemanly  and  sociable  fellow- 
passengers,  I  soon  had  a  glimpse  of  the   neat  villas  and  well 


298  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE..  [Chap.  XLVIII. 

cultivated  country  toward  Lisburn.  The  enterprise  and  capital 
of  Belfast  have  made  its  neighborhood  one  of  the  most  busy 
and  prosperous  agricultural  portions  of  Ireland.  Extensive 
bleach-greens  reminded  us  that  w^e  were  in  a  locality  that  was 
doing  a  great  deal  in  the  cause  of  linen  and  civilization.  The 
piece  of  white  substance  upon  my  own  person — that  delicate 
substitute  for  the  outer  rind  of  humanity — that  made  me  look 
so  much  less  like  a  savage,  was,  probably,  just  making  a  pil- 
grimage to  its  birth-place. 

Continuing  our  journey,  just  at  sunset  we  came  to  Hills- 
borough. The  town,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  country  round, 
are  owned  by  the  Marquis  of  Downshire.  After  a  passing 
glance  at  his  extensive  mansion  and  pleasure-grounds,  hard  by, 
we  hastened  rapidly  onward. 

Two  of  my  fellow-passengers  inside  were  going  up  to  Dub- 
lin, to  vote  for  opposite  candidates,  at  the  Trinity  College  elec- 
tion for  a  member  of  Parliament;  and  there  was  a  pleasant 
and  animated  political  discussion  till  late  in  the  evening. 

During  the  night,  we  passed  through  the  thriving  commercial 
town  of  Newry ;  and  daybreak  found  us  entering  the  ancient 
town  of  Drogheda,  some  thirty  miles  from  Dublin.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  river  Boyne  ;  and  about  two  miles  and  a  half  above 
the  place,  an  obelisk  still  marks  the  famous  battle-ground  on 
which  was  decided  the  fate  of  James  II.  and  the  Stuarts. 

Taking  the  cars,  in  little  more  than  an  hour  we  were  gradu- 
ally slackening  our  pace  in  the  long,  straggling  suburbs  of  Dub- 
lin. Faint  and  weary  with  the  night's  traveling,  I  was  soon 
after  calmly  refreshing  at  the  Imperial,  in  Sackville-street. 

Dublin  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  quietly  pleasant  cities  of 
Europe.  You  are  not  overwhelmed  and  crowded,  as  in  Lon- 
don ;  and  yet  there  is  a  great  deal  that  is  stately  and  beautiful. 
Except  from  near  the  obelisk  in  the  Place  de  la*  Concorde, 
Paris,  there  is  scarcely  a  spot  in  any  city,  perhaps,  where  so 
many  fine  views  and  noble  structures  may  be  seen  as  from 


Chap.  XLVIIL]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROl'E  299 

Carlisle  Bridge,  opposite  Sackville-street.  The  fine  expanse 
of  the  Litiey,  crowded  below  with  shipping,  the  General  Post 
Office,  Nelson's  Monument,  the  Four  Courts,  Custom  House, 
■with  glimpses  of  Tiinity  College  and  the  Bank  (once  the  Par- 
liament House  of  Ireland),  are  among  the  sights  from  this  one 
locahty.  All  the  public  buildings  of  DubUn  are  of  singular 
gi-andeur  and  beauty.  They  seem  as  if  built  in  the  Augustan 
age  of  Ireland,  and  are  generally  ornamented  with  statues  and 
elegant  designs. 

The  squares  of  the  city  are  also  magnificent.  Stephen's 
Green,  on  the  south  side  of  the  city,  contains  about  twenty 
acres  ;  and  INIemon  Square,  though  not  so  large,  is  still  more 
tastefully  laid  out,  and  surrounded  with  more  splendid  man- 
sions. 

But  the  grand  pleasure-ground  of  Dublin,  and  one  of  the 
glories  of  the  place,  is  Phoenix  Park.  It  contains  upward  of 
seventeen  hundred  acres,  finely  laid  out  in  drives  and  open 
spaces ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  trifling  inclosures 
about  the  summer  residence  of  the  Lord  Lieutenant,  and  some 
government  edifices,  it  is  open  to  all  classes. 

There  was  a  warmly-contested  election  for  a  member  of 
parliament  going  on  in  Trinity  College,  and  an  excellent  friend, 
a  former  student,  kindly  introduced  me  to  some  of  its  mys- 
teries. We  mingled  in  the  most  animated  groups,  and,  like 
some  other  busy  people,  might,  perhaps,  have  been  counted, 
among  the  friends  of  both  sides  ;  strolled  through  its  pleasant 
grounds  ;  inspected  the  chapel  and  richly-stored  museum  ;  and 
gazed  on  the  portrait  of  G  rattan,  and  some  of  its  former 
worthies. 

Less  pleasing  was  our  visit  to  the  Bank  of  Ireland,  opposite. 
It  seemed  like  a  desecration,  that  the  splendid  legislative  pile 
that  had  once  echoed  with  so  much  eloquence,  should  be  peo- 
pled with  clerks,  and  devoted  to  the  counting  of  gold. 

Right  in   front   of  this    building,  in   College  Green,    is   tlio 


300  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLVIil. 

famous  bronze  statue  of  William  III.,  so  long  a  bone  of  con- 
tention between  the  Orangemen  and  the  Catholics. 

On  a  rise  of  ground,  near  the  centre  of  the  city,  stands  the 
Castle,  or  town  residence  of  the  Lord  Lieutenant.  The  most 
interesting  portion  of  this  is  its  beautiful  chapel.  It  is  filled 
with  cai^ving,  of  exquisite  delicacy  and  richness. 

But  the  great  charm  of  Dublin  is  its  intelligent,  hospitable 
society.  It  is  refined,  without  being  rigidly  exclusive.  Most 
of  the  Irish  nobility  have  transferred  their  town  residences  to 
London  ;  and  the  master-spirits  in  theology,  law,  and  medicine, 
and  the  professors  in  the  University,  command  a  preponderating 
influence,  and  give  a  liberal  tone  to  the  highest  circles.  In  few 
cities  is  the  stranger  so  kindly  welcomed,  or  so  soon  at  home, 
as  in  the  Irish  capital. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

Wicklow  Scenery — Vale  of  Ovoca — Jaunting  Car — "  Meeting  of  the  Waters" 
— The  Seven  Churches — King  O'Toole  —  Curious  Legends — Return  to 
Liverpool — Sabbath  at  Sea. 

A  DELIGHTFULLY  hospitable  family,  who  had  fairly  forced 
me  to  be  their  guest,  had  arranged  that  one  of  the  young  gen- 
tlemen— the  same  who  had  been  my  guide  through  old  Trinity 
— should  show  me  the  wonders  of  the  County  of  Wicklow.  So, 
on  a  pleasant  afternoon,  we  were  mounted  upon  a  sort  of  huge 
affair,  between  an  omnibus,  an  Irish  car,  and  a  coach.  It  had 
wings  and  processes,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  on  wheels  be- 
fore ;  and  in  the  dimness  of  night  it  might  have  been  taken  for 
an  unwieldy  beast,  w^ith  shoulders  sticking  out,  like  the  Genius 
of  Famine.     If  my  memory  serves  me,  it  was  termed  a  caravan. 


Chap.  XLIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  301 

Our  route  lay  a  little  distance  from  the  sea,  with  a  greea 
undulating  foreground  between,  beyond  which  were  fairy 
headlands  and  a  sunny  shore.  We  passed  through  the  pleasant 
village  of  Bray,  and  in  sight  of  many  beautiful  seats,  orna- 
mented with  fine  trees,  till  at  length  a  bare  mountain  rose  on 
the  sight,  in  marked  contrast  with  the  Eden  below.  It  was 
the  Sugar-loaf. 

Half  an  hour  after,  we  entered  the  pleasant,  romantic  glen 
of  the  Downs.  It  was  a  deep,  nan-ow  ravine,  a  mile  and  a 
half  long,  with  the  sides  steeply  rising  in  places  to  six  hundred 
feet,  and  finely  clothed  with  copse-wood.  A  clear  stream  mur- 
mured at  the  bottom.  In  one  place,  a  kind  of  rural  observa- 
tory was  perched  upon  an  overhanging  pinnacle.  Beyond  this 
we  passed  through  an  avenue  of  ancient  oaks  and  chestnuts, 
ornamenting  the  country-seat,  once  the  home  of  Mrs.  Tighe, 
authoress  of  "  Psyche." 

Though  there  are  so  many  mansions  of  the  wealthy  to  be 
seen  scattered  over  Ireland,  their  estates  are  not  generally 
so  well  cultivated  as  in  England.  The  hedges  are  often  bro- 
ken ;  the  fields  less  carefully  tilled  ;  and  the  grounds  and  build- 
ings have  often  an  air  of  half  desolate  grandeur.  Absenteeism 
and  the  greater  insecurity  of  life  and  property  are,  perhaps, 
the  causes. 

Just  at  sunset  we  arrived  at  the  town  of  Arklow,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Ovoca.  From  this  we  set  off  for  the  cel- 
ebrated **  Vale  of  Ovoca."  We  were  soon  in  the  midst  of  its 
beauties.  I  never  saw  a  valley  so  lovely.  It  is  about  eight 
miles  in  length,  and  may  average  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width. 
In  the  centre,  through  lawns  and  grounds  ornamented  with 
clumps  of  trees,  winds  a  gentle  river,  and  at  the  sides  rise  lofty 
romantic  hills,  covered  with  woods ;  the  whole  forming  a  land- 
scape as  charming  and  luxuriant  as  a  painter's  dream. 

We  passed  Shelton  Abbey,  the  fine  seat  of  the  Earl  of 
Wicklow,  and  soon  after  reached  the  Wooden  Bridu-e  Inn,  in 


302  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIX. 

one  of  the  sweetest  spots  of  the  whole  valley.  We  were  soon 
quietly  slumbering. 

Next  morning  we  rose  early,  and  climbed  the  wooded  hill  in 
the  rear.  The  prospect  was  enchanting.  Here  the  rivers  Augh- 
rim  and  Ovoca  blend,  and  form  what  is  termed  the  "  second 
meeting  of  the  waters."  It  is  not  determined  whether  this  or 
another  "  meeting"  above  is  the  place  celebrated  by  Moore. 
Here,  too,  meet  in  a  common  centre  four  lovely  glens.  The 
reflection  of  the  silvery  waters,  the  rich  meadows  and  spreading 
ti'ees,  the  lofty  hills,  fringed  with  woods  of  freshest  foliage  to 
the  very  top,  like  walls  to  the  paradise  below,  formed  the  most 
pleasing  earthly  combination. 

We  feasted  our  eyes  a  while,  and  then  ordered  an  Irish 
jaunting-car.  This  is  a  national  vehicle.  It  is  a  raised  platform, 
extending  over  a  couple  of  wheels,  and  descending  outside,  so 
as  partially  to  conceal  them.  This  is  shaped  something  like 
three  steps  of  a  pair  of  stairs,  running  lengthwise  on  each  side, 
upon  the  middle  one  of  which  the  passenger  sits  sideways, 
while  the  bottom  step  receives  the  feet.  Above  the  highest 
step,  in  the  middle  of  the  vehicle,  there  is,  running  lengthwise, 
a  little  platform,  eighteen  inches  wide,  upon  which  the  arms 
and  back  may  partly  rest,  and  it  is  usually  covered  with  what 
the  drivers  term  a  courting  cushion.  They  are  often  elegantly 
made  and  mounted  on  springs,  and  they  are  really  light  and 
very  convenient  affairs. 

My  friend  and  I  mounted,  back  to  back,  and,  by  partially 
turning,  were  brought  nearly  side  to  side ;  the  driver  chirruped, 
and  away  we  glided  up  the  valley.  The  morning  was  singu- 
larly beautiful.  Our  Jehu  was  a  real  native,  and  when  we 
could  spare  time  to  turn  from  the  bright  visions  around  us, 
amused  us  greatly.  At  length  we  came  to  the  small  spot  where 
the  waters  of  the  Avonmore  and  Avonbeg  unite  to  form  the 
Ovoca,  distinguished  as  the  "  first  meeting"  of  the  waters.  Point- 
ing to  the  pretty  little  promontory  between  the  two  streams,  the 


Chap.  XLIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  303 

driver  said,  "  Do  you  see  that  three  there,  gintlemin  %  Sure,  an 
'twas  sitting  there  that  Tommy  Moore  wrote  the  *  Mating  o* 
the  wathers.'  "  I  inquired  if  there  was  any  way  for  me  to  get 
under  its  shade.  "  Kn  coorse,  if  ye've  a  turn  for  composin','* 
he  replied. 

There  was  a  pretty  cottage  beyond,  in  which  he  said  Moore 
had  lived.  Beyond  this  we  came  to  the  Lion's  Bridge,  leading 
up  to  Castle  Howard,  the  noble  mansion  of  the  family  of  that 
name,  looking  grandly  from  the  top  of  a  hill. 

Passing  the  copper  mines,  and  the  hill  sides  covered  with 
huge  wheels  and  machinery,  we  made  our  exit  from  the  Vale 
of  Ovoca,  and  came  to  the  little  town  of  Rathdrum. 

A  few  miles  beyond  I  stopped  to  visit  a  little  temporary 
shed  where  government  rations  were  being  distributed  to  the 
starving  poor.  At  another  place  we  went  to  examine  some  of 
their  little  mud  cottages. 

Driving  up  a  lonely  valley,  we  saw  a  little  inn,  a  few  old 
ruins,  and  mud  cabins  ;  and  a  fierce-looking  native  came  run- 
ning up  to  us,  half  out  of  breath,  exclaiming,  *'  Ye're  welkim 
to  the  city,  gintlemin  !" 

The  remains  and  crumbling  walls  we  saw  were  those  of  the 
'♦Seven  Churches"  so  famous  for  their  legends,  and  close  at 
hand  was  the  Lake  of  Glandalough,  celebrated  by  Moore. 

We  engaged  the  wild  man  as  guide.  He  began  in  a  sort  of 
singing,  nasal  tone  to  repeat — 

"  By  that  lake  whose  gloomy  shore 
Skylark  never  warbles  o'er : 
Where  the  cliff  hangs  high  and  steep, 
Young  St.  Kevin  stole  to  sleep." 

He  was  altogether  a  rare  character.  With  the  face  of  an  un- 
dertaker, he  gave  us  a  perfect  torrent  of  rich  drollery  and  strange 
superstition.  Legend  after  legend  came  with  marvelous  fluency. 
He  began  with  that  of  King  O' Toole,  St.  Kevin  and  the  Gray 


304  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIX. 

Goose,  so  amusingly  given  by  Lover — telling  how  this  "  prince 
and  plenny-penny-tinchery  o'  these  parts,"  when  "sthricken"  in 
years,  was  "  divarted"  by  a  favorite  goose  that  "  cotched  throut," 
and  flew  every  other  day  about  the  lake,  "divartin"  the  poor 
"  owld  king,"  and  in  "  coorse  o'  time"  was  the  gi'eatest  "pet 
in  the  counthry  and  the  biggest  rogue;"  that  when  the  goose 
grew  old  and  unable  to  fly,  the  king  was  lost  "  complate,"  and 
melancholy  "intirely;"  and  that  just  at  this  crisis  St.  Kevin,  in 
the  disguise  of  a  "  dacent"  young  man,  scraped  the  acquaintance 
of  the  king,  and  offered  to  make  his  '*  owld  goose  as  good  as 
new,"  if  he  would  give  the  saint  all  the  land  the  goose  flew 
over,  to  found  a  place  of  "plus  lamin;"  and  that,  taking  the  goose 
by  the  wings,  St.  Kevin  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  she 
flew  like  one  of  the  "  aigles  thimselves,  and  cuttin'  as  many 
capers  as  a  swallow  before  a  shower  of  rain,"  and  "  bein'  let  into 
the  saycret,"  by  St.  Kevin,  she  flew  all  round  a  space  of  several 
square  miles,  of  which  the  saint  obtained  possession,  and  thus 
were  founded  the  "Sivin  Churches." 

Every  spot  about  the  place  seemed  to  have  its  particular 
legend.  Our  guide  was  rattling  away  his  stories  so  fast  that  I 
could  not  catch  them.  He  pointed  to  a  seam  in  the  neighbor- 
ing rocks,  and,  at  my  request,  more  leisurely  commenced — 

"  Gintlemin,"  said  he,  "do  see  that  erase  in  the  hill  there." 
We  nodded  in  the  affirmative.  "  Well,  once  there  lived  in  these 
parts  an  Irish  joyant  (giant)  by  the  name  of  Fin  MaCool. 
An'  he  had  a  shword  that  was  made  by  Vulcan,  the  king  of  the 
blacksmiths  (you  know  that  Vulcan  was  the  ugliest  man  and 
Vanus,  his  wife,  the  purtiest  woman — the  purtiest  woman  in  all 
Ireland),  an'  he  came  here  with  his  shword  one  day,  and  met 
St.  Kevin.  You  know  St.  Kevin  was  a  schoolfellow  o'  the 
Prophet  Jeremiah,  and  the  schoolmaster  was  Epi — Epigo — 
Epigonazer."  "  You  mean  Nebuchadnezzar,"  said  I,  almost 
lying  down  with  laughter.  "  Ye're  right,  Misther,"  said  he. 
"An'  siz  St.  Kevin, '  Where  are  you  goin',  Fin  MaCool  V     '  To 


Chap.  XLIX.]  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROrE.  305 

a  gi-eat  battle  in  Kildare,'  siz  the  joyant.  '  Sure  an'  it's  all 
over,'  siz  St.  Kevin,  an'  with  that  Fin  MaCool  was  angered  in- 
tirely,  and  gav  three  leps  across  the  valley  there,  and  cut  that 
erase  ye  see  in  the  rocks  with  his  shword." 

We  were  rowed  across  the  little  "  gloomy  lake,"  climbed  by 
a  dangerous  path,  and  stretched  ourselves  in  the  small  cave 
where  tradition  says  St,  Kevin  fled  to  escape  from  an  enamored 
maiden  with  "  eyes  of  most  unholy  blue." 

The  guide  then  pretended  to  read  the  inscription  on  King 
O' Tool's  tombstone,  and  declared  that  a  little  crescent  on  one 
of  the  loose  stones  was  the  mark  of  a  horse's  shoe  in  "owld 
times,  afore  the  horses'  hoofs  grew  together  by  constant  shoe- 
in',"  observing,  with  a  knowing  look,  that  it  "  used  to  be  very 
inconvanient  to  have  the  sticks  and  stones  gettin'  atween  their 
toes." 

Shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  so  as  to  waken  an  echo  from 
the  hill  side,  said  he,  "  That's  the  greatest  echo  in  all  Ireland, 
barin'  one  in  Killarney,  that  when  ye  shout,  *  Paddy  Blake,  how 
do  ye  do]'  answers,  *  Purty  well,  I  thank  you.'  " 

"We  could  still  trace  the  ruins  of  no  less  than  seven  churches. 
These  edifices  are  reputed  by  antiquaries  to  have  been  built 
about  the  sixth  century.  Among  them  was  one  of  the  curious 
round  towers  which  have  so  puzzled  them.  It  was  like  a  small, 
round  windmill,  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  high,  and  had  an  open- 
ing a  few  feet  from  the  gi'ound. 

Leaving  this  we  visited  the  wild  recesses  of  the  Devil's  Glen, 
and  in  the  evening  arrived  by  the  railroad  in  Dublin. 

Taking  the  steamer,  I  crossed  to  Liverpool,  and  after  rang- 
ing a  day  or  two  about  its  splendid  docks,  I  embarked  on  board 
the  steamer  Guadalquivir  for  New  York.  We  took  the  northern 
course,  and  passed  close  to  the  Giants'  Causeway.  It  seemed 
at  that  distance  like  a  good  engraving  a  mile  or  two  magnified. 

We  were  on  board  a  new  iron  steamer,  making  her  first  ocean 
voyage.     The  fortune  of  our  gentlemanly  Captain  H ,  after 


306  LOITERINGS  IN  EUROPE.  [Chap.  XLIX. 

a  singularly  successful  career,  had  been  clouded  by  the  fate  of 
the  Great  Britain.  Some  of  our  friends  in  Liverpool  had 
grasped  our  hands  and  muttered  despondingly,  as  if  we  were 
never  to  meet  again.  There  was  something  of  nervous  anxiety 
in  the  face  of  most  of  the  passengers.  A  mother,  in  delicate 
health,  who  had  embarked  with  her  family,  looked  at  the  reced- 
ing land  till  tears  came,  and  with  a  heavy  sigh  she  wished  she 
could  only  escape  to  the  shore. 

It  was  the  first  and  last  Sabbath  of  the  voyage.  The  day 
was  beautiful,  and  yet  lonely.  At  length  the  coast  of  Ireland 
lay  like  a  blue  cloud  in  the  distance.  Save  a  faint  ripple,  now 
and  then,  the  sea  was  calm  as  a  woodland  lake.  An  awning 
was  stretched  over  the  deck,  under  which  mattresses  were  spread 
for  the  sick.  All  uncovered,  and  the  captain  effectively  and 
earnestly  read  the  Episcopal  service. 

I  had  listened  to  that  sweetly  solemn  ritual  in  many  a  Gothic 
pile,  raised  by  human  hands,  and  varied  by  many  a  chanted  strain, 
but  it  had  never  appealed  so  to  the  better  feeUngs,  as  when  its 
responses  were  breathed  beneath  the  vaulted  sky,  and  mingled 
with  the  murmur  of  the  yielding  waters  ;  and  with  the  emotions 
they  inspired  we  caught  a  parting  glimpse  of  land,  and  steered 
on  the  pathless  sea  toward  the  setting  sun. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 

LECTURE  I. 

EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR. 


Delivered  before  the  Hamilton  Literary  Association. 


It  may  be  proper,  in  explanation,  briefly  to  say,  that  the 
facts  about  to  be  embodied,  were  gathered  in  the  execution  of 
a  commission  entrusted  to  me  on  sailing  for  Europe  some  two 
years  since,  by  the  efficient  "  Association  for  Improving  the 
Condition  of  the  Poor  ;"  whose  officers  and  members  you  have 
so  kindly  invited  to  be  present  this  evening.  If  any  thing 
good  should  be  suggested  by  this  effoit  it  will  be  from  seed 
they  have  sown. 

I  owe  them  a  thousand  thanks  for  having  drawn  my  atten- 
tion to  a  subject,  that  unexpectedly  affijrded  more  interest  and 
pleasure  in  traveling  than  any  single  thing  besides. 

Justice  also  compels  me  gi-atefully  to  acknowledge  the  as- 
sistance received  from  their  Excellencies,  Mr.  King,  late  Minis- 
ter at  Paris ;  Mr.  Bancroft,  at  London ;  Mr.  Donolson,  at 
Berlin ;  and  the  very  kind  attentions  of  INIr.  Schwartz  and  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Stiles,  our  excellent  rciirescntative  at  Vienna. 

I  frankly  confess,  I  have  not  responded  to  your  courteous 
call  without  some  misgivings. 

In  this  same  buildine  you  have  been  accustomed  to  listen  to 
eloquent  natural  philosophers,  till  in  fancy  you  have  uJraost 


310  APrENDIX.  [Lectuue  I. 

fathomed  the  mysteries  of  chalk  and  oolite,  granite  and  trap, 
and  settled  the  claims  of  fire  and  water  ;  or,  more  daringly- 
still,  you  have  essayed  to  put  the  compass  to  the  ring  of 
Saturn,  dissect  the  tail  of  a  comet,  or  lose  yourselves  among 
the  nebulae. 

Sometimes  you  have  been  charmed  with  recitations  taken 
from  Shakspeare  and  our  best  poets.  With  celebrated  travelers 
you  have,  in  thought,  unrolled  a  mummy,  climbed  a  pyramid, 
or  bowed  to  mandarins,  and  played  at  chop-sticks.  And  after 
all  this,  will  you  patiently  listen  to  one  of  your  own  quiet 
citizens,  unknown  to  you  as  a  lecturer,  whose  subject  is  the 
poor,  and  who  has  nothing  to  attract  you  but  plain  statistics 
and  simple  narrative. 

I  feel  that  I  have  a  very  difficult  task.  Yet  there  are  two 
or  three  encouraging  circumstances.  One  of  these  is  the  cheer- 
ing presence  of  those  gentler  ones,  who  are  ever  interested  in 
any  thing  that  relates  to  the  relief  of  human  suffering. 

I  often  think  of  the  boy  who,  on  hearing  the  quotation, 

*'  An  honest  man's  the  noblest  work  of  God  ;'* 

exclaimed  :  "  That's  a  lie — my  mother  is  !" 

Another  consoling  fact  is  the  prevalence  of  a  voracious 
appetite  for  every  kind  of  information.  You  are  fortunately 
too  hungry  to  be  fastidious.  Had  you  not  felt  thus  you  would 
not,  for  nearly  twenty  years,  have  so  well  sustained  this  ex- 
cellent institution,  appropriately  named  after  the  illustrious 
statesman  whose  portrait  overshadows  me,  and  who  rose  to 
one  of  the  highest  niches  in  the  temple  of  his  country's  glory 
by  a  similar  ardor. 

Popular  lectures  on  every  earthly  subject,  and  some  things 
unearthly,  are  happily  becoming  almost  as  common  as  music 
by  machinery  in  the  streets.  Not  an  inoffensive  citizen 
can  dress  in  black,  addict  himself  to  books,  and  cross  the 
ocean,  but  on  his  return,  through  kind,  persuasive  friends,  he  is 


Lecture  I.]  EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  311 

in  danger  of  writing  a  book  of  travels,  or  delivering    a   public 
lecture. 

Yet  every  day  makes  the  task  of  gratifying  this  thirst  for 
something  new  more  difficult.  It  is  hard  to  shine  when  the 
firmament  is  already  full  of  stars.  It  is  not  easy  to  catch  the 
public  ear  when  it  is  sated  with  eloquent  sounds.  Besides,  as 
we  intimated  before,  our  subject,  at  the  first  blush,  seems  unat- 
tractive. But  we  rest  upon  its  importance.  It  concerns  beings 
of  our  own  flesh  and  blood,  crushed  to  the  earth  by  poverty,  it 
is  true,  but  bearing  the  image  of  their  Creator,  and  capable  of 
being  raised  again,  by  kindly  means,  to  fill  the  highest  destiny  of 
man.  It  leads  us  to  dwell  upon  such  blessed  influences  in 
some  of  the"*most  densely  peopled  spots  of  the  old  world,  where 
misery  is  rankest.  It  has  to  do  with  a  class  of  sufferers  who 
are  gathering  around  us  more  thickly  every  day,  and  whom 
so  many  of  the  best  spirits  of  our  city  have  lately  banded  together 
to  redeem. 

It  is  proposed,  with  little  order,  but  slight  analogy,  and  the 
arrangement  which  will  convey  the  most  in  the  least  space,  to 
devote  this  evening  to  European  charities  for  children. 

To  begin  at  the  earliest  stage,  we  will  commence  with  what 
may  be  termed  a  nursing  society. 

As  you  go  from  Pont  Neuf  to  the  Sorbonne,  in  one  of  the 
closest  quarters  of  Paris,  near  the  Rue  de  la  Harpe,  you  may 
ascend  a  flight  of  stairs  and  enter  a  suite  of  rooms  filled  with 
cradles,  swings,  and  toys. 

It  is  one  of  the  establishments  for  the  children  of  poor,  labor- 
ing women,  termed  creches,  or  cradles.  Any  mother  having 
four  children,  and  in  indigent  circumstances,  is  allowed,  with- 
out charge,  to  deposit  her  infant  off'spring  during  the  working 
hours  of  the  day,  while  she  goes  out  to  earn  something  for 
their  subsistence. 

Nurses  are  hired  to  attend  lliem,  who  feed  them  with  milk 
and  suitable  diet;  the  mothers  briefly  visit  them  occasionally 


312  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

during  the  day,  and  at  night  return  to  take  them  to  their  homes. 
Sundays  and  holidays,  of  course,  these  curious  infant  asylums 
are  empty. 

Imagine,  for  a  moment,  the  busy  scene.  The  head-nurse  is 
bustling  about  in  the  midst  of  her  extensive  family,  as  anxiously 
as  a  hen  with  too  many  chickens. 

Some  are  strengthening  their  limbs  by  crawling,  and  others 
their  lungs  by  crying.  A  group  are  gathered,  like  lambs  in  a 
fold,  in  a  sort  of  circular  crib,  forming  a  Juvenile  Mutual 
Amusement  Society. 

One  of  the  nurses,  perhaps,  is  teaching  very  young  ideas  "  how 
to  shoot"  in  natural  history,  by  showing  a  wooden  horse,  and 
another  is  giving  lessons  in  music  on  a  drum.  A  few  of  the 
older  children,  who  can  just  walk,  are  prattling  away,  and  re- 
mind you  of  the  simple  countryman  who  wrote  to  his  fi-iends 
in  England,  that  in  France  even  the  little  children  spoke 
French. 

The  cheerful  washerwoman  that  you  see  pounding  away  all 
the  day  long  in  one  of  the  arks  along  the  Seine,  the  rosy- 
cheeked  matron,  buried  in  hyacinths  and  mignonettes,  in  the 
flower  market  of  the  Cite,  or  even  the  poor  rag-gatherer  that 
goes  drooping  along,  picking  rubbish  and  bits  of  paper  from  the 
streets,  is  perhaps  fondly  dreaming  of  her  charge  in  a  neighbor- 
ing creche. 

In  each  of  the  twelve  arrondlssements  of  Paris  is  distributed 
one  of  these  establishments. 

Perhaps  the  most  active  benevolent  agency  which  befriends 
these  and  kindred  institutions  is  the  Societe  de  Charite  Mater- 
ndle,  latterly  under  the  presidency  of  the  queen  ;  and  thus,  in  the 
advancing  humanity  of  the  age,  has  been  verified  the  prediction 
that  "  queens  shall  become  nursing  mothers." 

JMore  familiar  to  you,  from  the  frequent  accounts  of  travelers, 
and  therefore  requiring  less  minute  description,  is  the  celebrated 
Parisian  Foundling  Hospital,  or  Hospice  des  Enfans  Trouves, 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  313 

near  the  garden  of  Luxembourg,  founded  some  two  centuries 
since  by  St.  Vincent  de  Paule.  As  you  approach  the  entrance, 
you  perceive  a  little  box,  like  a  cradle,  set  in  the  wall,  and 
turning  on  a  pivot,  by  which,  in  perfect  secrecy,  a  child  may  be 
deposited,  and  the  bell  just  at  hand  rung  to  summon  the  at- 
tendant for  its  release.  It  was  found  latterly,  however,  that 
this  easy  method  of  abandoning  those  whose  helplessness  con- 
stitutes their  strongest  claim,  gave  rise  to  many  abuses.  The 
tone  of  public  morals  was  lowered  ;  children  from  the  country 
were  brought  unfairly  to  burthen  the  city ;  mothers  often  aban- 
doned their  legitimate  offspring,  and  then  applied,  as  nurses,  to 
rear  them  at  the  expense  of  the  state;  and,  finally,  the  mortality 
among  infants,  thus  forsaken  by  their  best  friends,  became  fear- 
fully great.  The  tours  for  secret  admission  have  therefore  been 
partially  closed ;  money  and  persuasion  used  to  induce  parties 
to  retain  their  children;  a  certificate  from  the  police  required, 
and  other  reforms  have  been  latterly  introduced.  The  found- 
lings who  are  healthy  are  immediately  given  to  suitably  recom- 
mended nurses,  who  are  constantly  applying  for  them,  to  be 
reared  in  the  pure  air  of  the  country,  at  the  rate  of  from  four 
to  eight  francs,  or  not  exceeding  about  a  dollar  and  a  half  per 
month. 

At  my  visit,  I  was  struck  with  the  perfect  order  that  pre- 
vailed. Long  rows  of  little  ones,  neatly  wrapped  in  the  French 
style,  lay  passive  as  mummies  ;  and  healthy-looking  nurses  were 
constantly  moving  about  among  the  objects  of  their  care. 

Every  morning  a  physician  comes  to  distribute  those  in 
waiting.  The  chilled  or  weakly  are  gently  laid  upon  an  in- 
clined bed,  in  front  of  the  fire.  Great  care  is  taken  to  preserve 
mementoes  and  evidences  of  their  origin,  so  that  they  may  be 
claimed  at  any  future  time. 

L'pward  of  four  thousand  children  per  year  have  been  de- 
posited, on  an  average,  during  the  kist  fifteen  years.  Of  these, 
one-fourth  die  annually.     Latterly  the  yearly  expense  has  con- 

O 


314  ArPENDIX.  [LkctuueL 

siderably  exceeded  a  million  of  francs.     Whenever  admission 
has  become  more  difficult,  infanticide  has  increased  in  the  city. 

Designed  for  older  children  than  the  creches,  or  the  Foundling 
Hospital,  are  the  German  Kindcr-hewahr  Anstalten,  or  Children- 
Preservation  Institutions,  common  in  Austria,  Saxony,  and 
Prussia. 

You  are  probably  aware  that,  in  many  parts  of  the  Conti- 
nent, females  labor  much  in  the  open  air,  and  patiently  engage 
in  severe  toils  which  nature  seems  to  have  designed  for  the 
"  Lords  of  Creation." 

I  remember  that  this  feature  particularly  struck  me  in 
Vienna.  Women  act  as  porters,  and  carry  heavy  burdens 
upon  a  sort  of  wooden  affair  upon  the  back,  about  the  city, 
at  all  hours. 

When  a  new  brick  building  is  going  up,  you  may  sometimes 
see  women  attending  the  masons,  as  patiently  as  the  lady 
Israelites  assisted  their  spouses  in  making  bricks  for  the  Egyp- 
tians. Of  course,  the  children  of  these  poor  laboring'  women, 
who  happen  to  be  between  the  nursing  and  the  school  age,  are 
motherless  during  the  day,  and  liable  to  run  wild  in  the  streets. 
To  preserve  these  little  ones,  asylums,  with  play-grounds,  have 
been  established  in  most  of  the  German  cities.  The  inmates 
are  generally  from  two  to  five  years  of  age.  Some  amiable 
married  couple,  of  moderate  literary  pretensions,  are  generally 
employed  to  take  charge,  at  a  very  small  salary.  The  super- 
intendent of  one  of  those  in  Vienna  told  me  that  he  and  his 
lady  assistant  received  jointly  two  hundred  florins,  or  about  one 
hundred  dollars. 

These  establishments  somewhat  resemble  infant  schools,  only 
that  a  great  deal  more  attention  is  paid  to  physical  exercise. 
Harmless  play  is  encouraged,  and,  altogether,  their  little  in- 
mates seem  very  happy.  There  is  a  full  assortment  of  toys 
and  sources  of  amusement. 

A  little   counting  and  singing,  and  a  few  simple   religious 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  315 

forms,  seemed  to  constitute  the  main  part  of  their  infant  exer- 
cises, if  we  except  the  very  important  one  of  developing  their 
limbs.  There  is  no  doubt  but  the  Germans  are  right  in  attend- 
ing, at  this  tender  age,  more  to  physical  than  to  intellectual 
growth,  and  that  these  are  highly  benevolent  institutions.  It  is 
said  that  the  empress-mother  takes  great  interest  in  those  of 
Vienna,  and  frequently  sends  them  presents. 

We  have  not  time,  in  this  brief  sketch,  to  enter  into  details 
of  the  Hopital  des  Eyifans  Malades  of  Paris,  or  the  admirable 
institutions  for  sick  children  in  London  and  other  cities ;  but 
there  has  been  a  humane  project  recently  tried  in  Switzerland, 
whose  novelty  merits  distinction. 

High  up  the  most  elevated  valleys  of  the  Alps,  amid  scenes 
where  all  else  is  grand  and  beautiful,  man  often  degenerates  to 
a  pitiful,  deformed  creature,  or  a  chattering  idiot.  In  the  words 
of  Shakspeare,  a  "  hideous  wallet  of  flesh"  grows  upon  the 
front  of  the  neck,  enlarging  what  is  technically  termed  the 
thyroid  gland,  and  forming  what  in  Switzerland  is  called  goitre  ; 
or  the  head  becomes  misshapen,  the  countenance  vacant,  the 
limbs  stunted,  the  speech  indistinct,  and  the  intellect  siiattered; 
and  the  victim  is  then  termed  a  cretin.  In  some  of  the  worst 
localities,  such  as  the  Vale  of  Aosta  on  the  Italian  side  of 
Mont  Blanc,  Sion  and  Orsieres  in  the  Canton  of  Vallais,  almost 
every  family  is  more  or  less  affected. 

I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  a  morning  walk  in  one  of  the 
most  infected  villages  of  the  Canton  of  Vallais.  I  inquired  the 
way  from  the  first  tottering  deformed  creature  I  met  in  the 
street,  and  he  replied  with  a  vacant  stare  and  uncouth  sounds. 
Idiot  children,  in  rags,  were  lying  on  the  ground,  basking  in  the 
Bun,  with  just  instinct  enough  to  stretch  out  their  hands  to  \)e<r ; 
and  the  filth  of  the  stricken  place  was  most  offensive.  These 
aflections  have  been  variously  attributed  :  to  the  drinking  of 
enow  water,  the  caiTying  weights  on  the  head,  filthy  habits,  llie 
impregnation  of  the  water,  and  the  like ;  but  the  observations 


31G  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

of  Sir  Astley  Cooper  and  others  lead  to  the  behef  that  they 
are  caused  by  the  impure  air  generated  in  very  confined  val- 
leys. It  has  been  lately  discovered  that,  by  sending  infected 
children,  very  young,  to  a  healthy  locality,  and  subjecting  them 
to  suitable  treatment,  they  can  often  be  cured.  With  this  be- 
nevolent design.  Dr.  Guggenbuhl,  a  Swiss  philanthropist,  whom 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting,  has  recently  founded  a  hospital 
for  the  cure  of  these  affections,  in  the  Canton  of  Berne.  This 
institution  is  near  the  pretty  village  of  Interlachen,  and  the 
beautiful  lakes  Thun  and  Brientz,  in  view  of  the  Jungfrau  and 
the  most  magnificent  peaks  of  Oberland.  It  is  an  interesting 
fact,  that  the  treatment  of  these  affections  by  Dr.  Coindet,  of 
Geneva,  a  few  years  since,  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  medicinal 
use  of  iodine,  one  of  the  greatest  boons  to  the  afHicted  of  the 
present  century. 

To  cross  the  Alps  :  there  is  no  city  in  Europe  where  there 
are  more  beggars,  in  proportion  to  its  population,  and  none 
where  there  is,  probably,  a  greater  amount  of  charitable  relief 
for  them,  than  Rome.  Its  hospitals  are  ill-kept  palaces,  and 
its  benevolent  foundations,  of  every  kind,  are  immense.  The 
tax  for  such  purposes,  on  lotteries  alone,  yields  a  yearly  rev- 
enue of  840,000 ;  and  it  is  customary  for  the  pope  to  distrib- 
ute, from  his  private  almonry,  nearly  as  much  more.  Besides 
casual  voluntary  assistance,  it  is  estimated  that,  from  regular 
sources,  not  far  from  a  million  of  dollars  is  annually  expended 
by  the  various  charities  of  a  city  not  numbering  a  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  souls.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this  liberal  pro- 
vision, there  is  much  apparent  want  visible.  One  is  often  be- 
sieged for  alms  in  the  streets  ;  and  the  stranger  is  forced  to 
believe  there  is  a  good  deal  of  mismanagement  in  the  applica- 
tion of  these  funds. 

It  is  true,  there  must  be  swarms  of  applicants.  Italy,  with 
a  few  bright  exceptions,  appears  to  the  traveler  like  a  poverty- 
stricken  land — blighted,  and   yet  beautiful  even  in  her  ruin. 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  317 

Ailiong  the  thousands  who  annually  visit  her  ancient  capital 
from  the  pro^dnces,  many,  doubtless,  come  for  bread.  The 
crowds  of  rich  foreigners  who  yearly  flock  there,  like  birds  of 
passage,  attract  them  by  the  alms  they  scatter  with  a  lavish 
hand.  In  fact,  Rome  is  a  sort  of  terrestrial  paradise  for  beg- 
gars. A  mild  climate  renders  much  clothing  unnecessary. 
They  lodge  as  cheaply  as  the  bats,  amid  the  ruins  of  marble 
baths  and  desolate  palaces,  and  dine  on  roasted  chestnuts,  in 
the  square  of  the  Pantheon.  The  devout,  without  charge,  may 
listen  to  the  organ  of  St.  John  in  Lateran,  mount  the  Holy 
Stairs,  or  worship  at  the  Apostle's  Tomb,  where  the  lights  are 
ever  burningr  in  St.  Peter's  ;  and  on  m-eat  occasions,  from  its 
imposing  front,  the  pope  kindly  bestows  upon  them  a  general 
blessing.  The  mischievous  join  in  the  fun  in  the  Corso,  during 
the  carnival,  as  lustily  as  gentlemen  in  disguise. 
V  Decidedly  the  most  interesting  charity  in  Rome  is  the  ex- 
tensive establishment  of  San  Michele,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Tiber.  It  contains  an  asylum  for  old  people,  and  a  house  of  cor- 
rection for  females  and  juvenile  offenders.  But  by  far  the  most 
extensive  and  attractive  portion  is  the  house  of  industry,  de- 
voted to  the  pu7-pose  of  teaching  poor  children,  male  and 
female,  some  trade  or  employment  by  which  they  may  eani  a 
livelihood. 

Except  in  the  absence  of  bars  and  cells,  and  the  presence  of 
general  cheerfulness,  the  first  aspect  of  a  place  where  black- 
smithing,  carpentering,  hat,  and  shoe-making,  spinning,  weaving, 
embroidery,  and  all  the  more  ordinary  domestic  pursuits  were 
going  on,  reminded  me  for  a  moment  of  the  busy  appearance 
of  one  of  our  own  state  prisons.  They  were  toiling  away  as 
merrily  as  bees. 

The  principal  manufacture  is  that  of  cloth  for  the  Papal 
troops.  The  girls  arc  also  much  employed  in  making  military 
ornaments.  Journeymen  from  the  trades'  establishments  in 
the  city  are  procured  to  teach  the  boys.     Those  learning  trades 


318  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 


receive  a  trifling  allowance  for  tlieir  work,  varying  with  its 
excellence;  and  on  completing  the  course,  each  apprentice 
receives,  on  leaving,  thirty  dollars.  The  girls  are  permitted  to 
remain,  if  they  wish,  in  another  department,  where  they  get 
regular  employment ;  and  a  few  generally  enter  the  nunneries. 

There  is  a  school  of  arts  connected  with  the  establishment, 
w^here  the  more  promising  of  the  boys  have  lessons  in  sculpture 
and  design.  Some  of  their  performances  are  really  wonderful. 
All  the  children  receive  instruction  in  the  common  branches  of 
education,  to  which  are  added  French  and  music.  There  are 
no  qualifications  necessary  to  obtain  the  advantages  of  this 
excellent  institution  but  poverty,  and  birth  within  the  Roman 
States.  /The  proceeds  from  the  sales  of  the  articles  manu- 
factured are  insuflicient  entirely  to  maintain  the  concern,  and  it 
receives  a  certain  amount  of  support  from  the  State. 

In  no  Italian  city,  perhaps,  is  there  the  appearance  of  so 
much  industry,  comfort,  and  good  order  among  the  lower 
classes  as  Florence.  In  contrast  with  every  other  place  in  the 
country,  you  are  astonished  to  find  yourself  free  from  the 
importunities  of  the  needy.  Street-begging  is  prohibited  ; 
liberal  public  provision  is  made  for  the  poor ;  and  any  one 
found  asking  alms,  is  sent,  in  charge  of  the  police,  to  earn  his 
living  at  Monte  Domini. 

This  excellent  establishment,  like  the  Hospice  of  St.  Michelo 
at  Rome,  contains  a  highly  interesting  industrial  department, 
where  a  large  number  of  poor  children,  of  both  sexes,  are 
educated,  and  taught  mechanical  and  other  pursuits.  It  was 
similar  to  that  at  Rome,  only  that  it  was  better  conducted. 
Less  attention  was  paid  to  the  fine  arts,  and  much  more  to 
practical  pursuits.  Some  of  the  iron  fabrics  were  very  beauti- 
flil.  In  proof  of  their  cheerful  enjoyment,  I  remember  tlmt 
on  entering  the  cabinet-shop,  some  fifty  or  sixty  apprentice 
boys  were  spontaneously  singing  in  chorus  at  their  work,  and 
the  good-natured  attendant,  something  to  my  regret,  arrested 


Lecture  L]         EUROrEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  319 

their  boisterous  music.  Every  thing  about  it  bore  the  aspect 
of  extieme  neatness,  and  altogether  it  was  one  of  the  best  kept 
public  institutions  I  ever  visited.  The  children  struck  me  as 
remarkably  healthy  looking.  Beautiful  marble  baths  were 
erected  in  one  part  of  the  premises ;  and  the  ceremony  of 
initiation  consisted  in  a  good  cleansing. 

The  head  matron  of  the  girls'  department  happened  to  be  a 
lively,  kind-hearted  French  lady.  She  was  quite  enthusiastic, 
and  with  pardonable  pride  boasted  of  the  superior  education  of 
her  young  ladies,  declaring  they  had  regularly  taken  their  de- 
grees in  housewifery.  It  appeared  that  they  were  systematically 
trained  for  domestic  life  ;  and  that,  occupying  themselves  in  each 
branch  long  enough  to  acquire  it  well  before  commencing  the 
next  higher,  they  learned  in  rotation  knitting,  sewing,  spinning, 
weaving,  and  quite  a  circle  of  household  pursuits.  Struck  with 
their  accomplishments,  I  ventured  very  naturally  to  ask  the 
communicative  matron  the  bachelor  question  whether  they 
made  good  wives.  I  found  her  a  perfect  matchmaker.  She 
stated  that  four  or  five  marriages  had  recently  taken  place,  and 
entertained  me  with  quite  a  romantic  account  of  the  last. 
Amused  witli  her  description,  and  recollecting  that  mamage  in 
Italy  was  generally  a  cool  matter  of  convenience,  arranged  by 
the  parents,  with  little  previous  acquaintance  between  the  prin- 
cipal parties,  further  than  a  bare  sight  of  each  other,  1  inquired 
of  her  the  way  in  which  these  poor-house  aflairs  of  the  heart 
were  commonly  managed.  She  said  that  her  young  ladies  went 
frequently  under  the  charge  of  some  one  to  take  the  air,  and  if 
any  gentleman  in  the  street  saw  one  of  the  ilock  whoso  appear- 
ance he  admired,  he  was  satisfied  with  this  rank-and  file  court- 
shi[),  and  as  she  did  not  commonly  object  to  changing  her  con- 
dition, he  popped  the  question,  not  to  the  fair,  but  the  poor- 
officers,  and,  if  accepted,  they  were  forthwith  married. 

There  was  a  magazine  attached  to  the  establishment,  well 
stored  with  its  manufactures,  and  the  prices  ranged  a  trifle  lower 


320  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

than  elsewhere.  The  proceeds,  though  greatly  assisting,  were 
insufficient  to  support  the  concern,  and  the  deficiency  was  made 
up  by  a  very  light  tax  on  lotteries  and  salt. 

There  are  strong  objections  to  taking  children  from  the  kindly 
influences  of  home  and  its  loved  ones,  and  lodging  them  in  large 
numbers  within  extensive  edifices.  Whether  in  the  wigwam  of 
the  Indian,  the  tent  of  the  Arab,  or  the  city  mansion,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  nature  has  intended  that  the  human  species  should  be 
reared  in  famiUes.  Let  us  fly,  then,  from  the  south  to  the  north, 
to  inspect  a  labor  system  of  instruction  for  poor  children  which 
is  free,  at  least,  from  this  defect. 

In  October,  ISil,  an  industrial  school  for  the  poor — the  first, 
it  is  believed,  of  the  kind,  in  Scotland,  if  not  in  Great  Britain,  was 
established  at  Aberdeen.  At  this  time  it  was  ascertained  that 
there  were  nearly  three  hundred  children  in  the  city  subsistin^r 
partly  by  begging  and  partly  by  theft.  They  were  the  ragged, 
unwashed,  haggard  little  creatures  that  you  see  lurking  about 
the  docks,  close  alleys,  and  dark  passages  of  most  European  cities. 
This  is  not  mentioned  as  a  reflection  upon  any  country,  for  with 
the  blessings  enjoyed  in  densely  populated  places,  are  ever  min- 
gled the  ills  of  poverty  and  vice,  and  our  own  cities  would  soon 
present  the  same  spectacle  were  not  labor  abundant,  food  cheap, 
and  a  boundless,  fertile  country  in  the  rear.  The  facts  which  we 
mention,  too,  may  make  some  prejudiced  minds  more  charitable 
in  judging  of  the  social  difficulties  of  other  countries.  Especially 
in  England  and  Holland,  millions  are  expended  annually  upon 
the  poor.  But  while  all  the  benevolent  instrumentalities  noticed 
on  the  present  occasion  reflect  credit  upon  the  various  nations 
where  they  exist,  the  extent  of  the  provision  for  its  cure  but  helps 
to  convince  us  of  the  fearful  character  of  the  disease.  Some  of 
the  scenes  of  squalid  poverty  among  the  densely  crowded  cities 
of  Europe  are  really  starthng.  For  fear  of  exaggeration  let  us 
borrow,  as  an  example,  a  Scottish  minister's  description  of  the 
occupants  of  the  Grass  Market,  Edinburgh : 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  3-21 

"On  one  side  of  this  square,  in  two-thirds  of  the  shops  (for 
we  have  counted  them)  are  spirits  sold.  The  sheep  are  near 
the  slaughter-house — the  victims  are  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  altars.  The  mouth  of  almost  every  close  is  filled  with 
loungers,  worse  than  Neapolitan  lazzaroni — bloated  and  brutal 
figures,  ragged  and  wretched  old  men,  bold  and  fierce-looking 
women,  and  many  a  half-clad  mother  shivering  in  cold  winter, 
her  naked  feet  on  the  pavement,  and  a  skeleton  infant  in  her 
arms.  On  a  summer  day,  when  in  the  blessed  sunshine  and 
warm  air,  misery  itself  will  sing ;  dashing  in  and  out  of  these 
closes,  careering  over  the  open  ground,  engaged  in  their  rude 
games,  arrayed  in  flying  drapery,  here  a  leg  out  and  there  an 
arm,  are  crowds  of  children  :  their  thin  faces  tell  how  illy  they 
are  fed ;  their  fearful  oaths  tell  how  illy  they  are  reared ;  and 
yet  the  merry  laugh  and  hearty  shout  and  screams  of  delight,  as 
some  unfortunate  urchin  at  leap-frog  measures  his  length  upon 
the  ground,  also  tell  that  God  made  childhood  to  be  happy,  and 
that  in  the  buoyancy  of  youth  even  misery  will  forget  itself. 

"  We  get  hold  of  one  of  these  boys.  Poor  fellow  !  it  is  a 
bitter  day.  He  has  neither  shoes  nor  stockings  ;  his  naked  feet 
are  red,  cracked,  ulcerated  with  cold;  a  thin,  thread-worn 
jacket,  with  its  gaping  rents,  is  all  that  protects  his  breast;  be- 
neath his  shaggy  bush  of  hair  he  shows  a  face  sharp  with  want, 
yet  sharp  also  with  intclHgence  beyond  his  years.  That  poor 
little  fellow  has  learned  already  to  be  self-supporting.  He  has 
studied  the  arts — he  is  master  of  imposture,  lying,  begging, 
steaUng;  and  small  blame  to  him,  but  much  to  those  who  have 
neglected  him,  he  had  otherwise  pined  and  perished.  So  soon 
as  you  have  satisfied  him  you  are  not  connected  with  the  police, 
you  ask  him,  *  Where  is  your  father  V  Now  hear  his  story — 
and  there  are  hundreds  could  tell  a  similar  tale.  •  Where  is 
your  father]'  'He  is  dead,  sir.'  'Where  is  your  mother  f 
♦  Dead,  too.'  •  Wliere  do  you  stay  V  '  Sister  and  I  and  my 
little  brother  live  with  granny.'     *  What  is  she  V     *  She  is  a 


322  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

widow  woman.'  *  What  does  she  do  V  '  Sells  sticks,  sir.'  '  And 
can  she  keep  you  all  V  '  No.'  *  Then  how  do  you  live  V  *  Go 
about  and  get  bits  of  meat,  sell  matches,  and  sometimes  get  a 
trifle  from  the  carriers  for  running  an  errand.'  '  Do  you  go  to 
school  ]'  *  No,  never  was  at  school ;  attended  sometimes  a  Sab- 
bath-school, but  have  not  been  there  for  a  long  time.  *  Do  you 
go  to  church  V  *  Never  was  in  a  church.'  *  Do  you  know  who 
made  you  V  '  Yes,  God  made  me.'  '  Do  you  say  your  pray- 
ers V  '  Yes,  mother  taught  me  a  prayer  before  she  died,  and 
I  say  it  to  granny  afore  I  lie  down.'  ^Jlave  you  a  bed  ]'  *  Some 
straw,  sir.' 

*  #  *  *  # 

"  Such  children  can  not  pay  for  an  education,  nor  avail  them- 
selves of  a  gratis  one,  though  offered.  That  little  fellow  must 
beg  and  steal,  or  he  starves.  With  a  number  like  himself,  he 
goes  as  regularly  to  that  work  of  a  morning  as  the  merchant  to 
his  shop,  or  the  tradesman  to  his  place  of  labor.  They  are 
turned  out — driven  out  sometimes — to  get  their  meat,  like 
sheep  to  the  hills,  or  cattle  to  the  fields  ;  and  if  they  bring  not 
home  a  certain  supply,  a  drunken  father  and  a  brutal  beating 
await  them." 

Well,  it  was  to  rescue  such  abandoned  young  creatures  that, 
as  we  said  before,  a  few  benevolent  spirits  determined  to  try 
the  experiment  of  an  industrial  school  in  Aberdeen.  It  held 
out  to  them  the  offer  of  food,  education,  and  employment.  The 
children  breakfasted  and  supped  on  porridge  and  milk,  and 
dined  on  bread  or  potatoes  and  animal  broth  ;  received  instruc- 
tion four  hours,  and  labored  at  suitable  work,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  concern,  five  hours.  To  the  ordinary  branches  of  instruc- 
tion were  added  religious  teaching,  the  exercises  of  a  Sabbath- 
school,  and  singing.  Regular  food  proved  a  powerful  magnet 
to  these  hungry  children.  They  received  the  advantages  of 
steady  employment,  and  education  with  it ;  and  returned  home 
to  sleep  every  night,  carrying  with  them  the  good  influences 


Lectuue  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  323 

received,  as  lessons  to  their  depraved  friends.  The  cost  aver- 
aged about  six  pounds  sterhng  each  annually.  By  laboring 
five  hours  per  day  at  net-making,  and  other  occupations  suitable 
for  young  children,  they  were  able  to  earn  on  the  average,  the 
last  year  reported,  c£l.  10*.  Id.,  or  about  one-fourth  of  their 
expenses.  The  rest  was  supplied  by  voluntary  contributions. 
Food  was  furnished  by  the  House  of  Refuge  at  2^d.  (about 
4^  cents),  per  day. 

The  experiment  was  delightfully  successful.  In  a  short  time 
a  girls'  industrial  school  was  established,  and  two  othei's  like 
the  first  were  planted  in  other  parts  of  the  town.  Hard- 
ly a  juvenile  beggar  at  last  was  to  be  found.  Emaciated  and 
filthy  little  ones  grew  plump,  cleanly,  and  orderly,  indicating  a 
most  pleasing  physical  and  moral  reformation.  In  Dundee, 
Edinburgh,  Birmingham,  and  London,  these  efforts  excited 
attention,  and  kindred  institutions,  variously  modified  by  cir- 
cumstances, wero  established  for  the  benefit  of  the  samo 
class. 

And  this  brings  us  to  notice  the  ragged  schools  of  London. 
Fearful  as  was  the  picture  drawn  of  juvenile  depravity  in 
Edinburgh,  it  scarcely  reaches  in  fullness  the  living  one  of 
this  world-city.  Multitudes  of  the  young  "  Christian  heathen'* 
of  this  vast  metropolis  never  enter  a  school  or  church.  The 
report  of  one  of  the  benevolent  societies  estimates  their  num- 
ber at  one  hundred  thousand.  Unloved,  uncared-for,  and  fa- 
miliar with  hunger,  nakedness,  blows,  and  pavement-beds,  they 
wander  about,  the  growing  Ishmaelitcs  of  tlie  city.  Their 
own  wants  are  not  always  their  only  masters.  Sometimes 
they  are  driven  forth  to  maintain  in  idleness  and  dissipation 
their  unnatural  parents. 

Watch  closely,  and  you  may  see  them,  with  pale,  sharpened 
faces,  selling  matches,  and  slyly  begging,  among  the  merchant 
palaces  of  the  west  end  ;  or  peeping  wistfully  at  the  gin-shops 
in  St.  Giles's  ;  scampering  suspiciously,  with  something  under 


324  ArPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

the  arm,  down  the  half-concealed  alleys  leading  from  Holborn 
and  the  Strand  ;  or  fingering  the  filth  for  lost  jewelry  or  money  ; 
and  bending  over  the  gutters  in  the  by-places  of  the  Borough 
and  Lambeth. 

With  ragged  coats  to  the  heels,  trowsers,  perhaps,  to  the 
knees,  and  shirts  invisible,  they  sometimes  scamper  about  their 
favorite  haunts,  sporting  even  in  their  misery,  and  yelling  like 
young  imps.  That  httle  wiry  fellow,  with  fingers  that  can  al- 
most pick  a  lock,  and  a  body  that  can  find  its  way  through  a 
pane  of  glass,  perhaps  knows  how  to  manage  a  dark  lantern, 
and  is  apprentice  to  a  house-breaker.  His  brother  pursues  you 
with  combs  (which  he  never  uses)  and  trifles  in  the  street,  and 
in  hard  times  "  finds,"  or,  as  you  would  say,  steals,  pocket- 
handkerchiefs.  His  little  skeleton  sister,  with  such  a  sweet, 
plaintive  voice,  sometimes  sells  fruit,  and  sometimes  begs. 
Hunger  is  strangely  inventive.  When  the  tide  is  out,  you 
may  see  troops  of  these  young  creatures,  made  desperate  by 
want,  busy  as  beavers,  searching  the  mud  along  the  margin 
of  the  Thames  for  corks  and  other  plunder. 

Some  five  or  six  years  since  a  few  choice,  self-denying 
spirits  connected  principally  with  the  London  City  Mission, 
determined  on  makino:  a  strongr  effort  to  save  these  outcast 
children.  They  sought  out  their  worst  haunts,  hired  cheap 
school-rooms,  selected  hours  in  the  evening,  and  other  times 
likely  to  suit  them,  and  in  tones  of  kindness  entirely  new  to 
them,  offered  to  educate  them  for  this  and  another  world  ;  and 
that  the  vilest  might  not  be  ashamed  to  come,  they  called  them 
Ragged  Schools. 

The  opening  of  one  of  these  was  often  a  curious  scene,  and 
sometimes  not  free  from  danger.  These  young  "  Arabs  of  the 
city"  were  at  first  ungovernable  as  wild  horses.  Sometimes 
for  a  freak,  they  brought  powder,  and  fired  it  off,  filling  the 
place  with  smoke ;  made  a  rush,  and  blew  out  the  lights  ; 
pelted  one  another  with  missiles  and  dirt ;  or  drummed  at  the 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  325 

windows  and  doors,  till  all  was  confusion.  But  perseverance 
and  kindness  conquered.  As  in  Aberdeen,  the  result  was 
delightful. 

In  1844  the  London  Ragged  School  Union  was  formed  to 
encourage  these  efforts,  and  Lord  Ashley,  the  celebrated  ad- 
vocate of  the  Ten  Hours'  Bill  for  the  relief  of  the  factory 
children,  became  one  of  its  chief  patrons. 

By  the  Report  for  1847,  it  appears  that  besides  private 
donations,  in  a  single  year  from  this  source  alone,  were  raised 
ti^wards  of  three  thousand  dollars ;  and  the  Society  assisted 
forty-four  ragged  schools  in  different  parts  of  London,  number- 
ing nearly  five  thousand  children.  These  were  taught  by 
some  four  hundred  and  fifty  teachers,  of  whom  three-fourths 
were  voluntary  and  unpaid.  The  devotion  and  sacrifices  of 
these  teachers  were  indeed  extraordinary. 

Many  a  refined  lady,  many  a  gifted  youth,  accustomed  to 
the  elegancies  of  life,  with  no  recompense  but  their  feelings, 
have  not  been  ashamed  to  toil  month  after  month  amid  the 
filth  and  vermin  of  these  ragged  scholars. 

I  shall  never  forget  a  visit,  in  company  with  an  excellent 
New  York  friend,  to  a  rao^c^ed  school  in  the  wretched  neii^hbor- 
hood  of  Jurston-strcet,  London. 

One  of  the  superintendents  having  strongly  excited  our 
cunosity  in  reference  to  a  letter  received  from  one  of  the 
pupils,  I  called,  by  invitation,  on  the  teacher  to  whom  it  was 
addressed,  for  a  copy  of  the  touching  and  beautiful  epistle  I 
hold  in  my  hand.  The  possessor  was  a  retiring  fenKilo  in  the 
common  walks  of  life,  and  obliged  to  toil  the  whole  weary 
week ;  while  her  pale,  tliin  f\ice  and  slight,  stooping  figure, 
showed  signs  of  feeble  health. 

Yet,  without  the  least  pccuninry  reward,  she  had  regulaily 
taken  her  accustomed  long  walk  several  times  a  week  for  lialt 
a  dozen  years  to  laboi'  in  an  offensive  Ragged  School. 

She  remarked,  as  she  handed  me  the  letter,  that  the  writer 


326  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

was  a   reckless   Irish   girl,  and   one   of  the   most  troublesome 
scholars  she  had  ever  known. 

With  evident  emotion  her  eye  rested  upon  the  piece  of 
paper,  as  if  it  had  been  a  treasure  ;  and,  as  she  told  her  story, 
there  glistened  in  it  a  tear  of  deep,  quiet  joy.  It  w^as  her 
triumph  over  fruit  unexpectedly  springing  from  seed  painfully 
sown. 

I  have  never  read  such  a  thrillino^  tale  set  forth  in  such  child- 
like  eloquence,  as  is  contained  in  this  letter.  I  regret  that  its 
length  and  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  will  not  allow  me  to  gratify 
some  of  our  more  serious  friends  with  its  perusal.* 

***** 

*  Instead  of  the  meagre  description  of  the  contents  given  in  a  couple  of 
sentences  erased  from  the  lecture,  I  prefer  giving  the  more  interesting  original 
in  this  note.     The  only  alterations  are  in  the  punctuation  and  capitals : — 

"My  Dear  Teacher: — It  is  five  years  since  you  met  me  in  Glo'ster 
Street,  and  invited  me  to  go  with  you  to  Jurston-street  Sunday  Evening 
School.  At  the  first  I  was  not  willing  to  go,  but  you  would  not  go  without 
me.  You  said,  '  Come  for  once  :'  and  so  I  went  with  you.  You  may 
remember  what  a  monster  I  was — caring  for  nothing.  Sure  you  must  have 
wondered  what  could  induce  me  to  come  so  regular.  I  do  not  know 
myself,  unless  it  was  to  distui'b  the  school ;  for  as  soon  as  I  came  into  the 
class  there  could  be  no  more  order.  In  vain  did  you  beg  of  me  to  attend 
to  the  instruction ;  my  heart  was  as  hard  as  a  stone,  and  as  cold  as  ice. 
Yet  nothing  could  have  kept  me  from  coming.  Sometimes  I  have  been 
afraid  to  look  if  you  were  there ;  for  some  of  the  girls  used  to  say  if  1  did 
go  on,  they  were  sm'e  you  would  not  come  again.  But,  blessed  be  God ! 
you  were  always  there,  so  that  I  never  had  any  other  teacher.  During  the 
two  years  that  I  was  in  the  school,  no  change  whatever  took  place  in  my 
character.  My  conduct  was  shameful.  I  do  not  know  how  you  could  have 
borne  with  me  with  so  much  patience. 

"  At  the  end  of  two  years  my  parents  were  obliged  to  return  to  Ireland. 
Oh,  my  dear  friend  !  never  shall  I  forget  the  night  when  I  told  you  I  was 
not  coming  again.  How  affectionately  you  talked  to  me  !  If  I  had  been 
cue  of  the  most  attentive  scholars  in  your  class  you  could  not  have  been 
more  kind  to  me.  You  marked  some  chapters  in  my  Bible,  and  begged  of 
me  to  read  tliem  when  I  could  not  come  to  school ;  and  when  you  bade  me 


Lecture  L]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  327 

There  are  many  other  juvenile  institutions  in  London  we 
might  notice,  did  time  permit.  Should  any  of  our  friends 
present  contemplate  a  visit  to  the  British  capital,  who  are  in- 
farewell,  it  was  the  first  time  in  ray  life  that  I  felt  any  real  soitow  for  past 
sin.  I  thought  I  would  give  all  the  world  if  I  might  stop  one  month  longer 
with  you.  In  the  course  of  the  week  we  left  London.  I  could  get  no  rest 
day  nor  night.  I  could  think  of  no  one  else  but  you.  One  day  I  thought 
I  would  make  away  with  myself.  Hell  ajipeai-ed  open  to  receive  me  !  Just 
as  I  was  going  to  take  some  poison  that  I  had  prepared,  I  thought  I  heard 
you  call  me,  and  say — '  Where  is  your  Bible  V  I  laid  down  the  poison  and 
got  my  Bible,  and  the  first  place  that  I  opened  whei-e  you  marked,  was 
John  iii.  16:  '  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life.' 

"  Although  I  had  so  often  heard  that  passage  before,  it  now  appeared  as  if 
it  were  the  fii'st  time.  I  turned  to  some  other  place  that  was  marked,  and 
saw  before  me :  '  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief.'  This 
appeared  to  be  just  my  case.  I  kneeled  down  and  prayed  to  God  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life.  I  was  much  comforted.  I  threw  the  poison  away ; 
and  from  that  time  I  found  mercy,  and  was  able  to  call  God  Abba,  Father. 
I  suffered  much  persecution  from  my  friends,  but,  blessed  be  God !  he  helped 
me  through  it.  I  knew  what  a  sinner  I  had  been,  and  therefore  could  pity 
and  pray  for  them.  I  once  nearly  lost  my  Bible.  The  priest,  having  learn- 
ed that  I  had  one,  came  and  demanded  it.  I  said  I  would  part  with  my  life 
first.  He  said  it  would  be  worse  for  me  if  I  did  not  give  it  to  him.  One  night 
when  all  were  safe  in  bed,  1  got  up,  went  down  into  the  yard,  dug  a  hole: 
after  committing  ray  best  companion  to  the  Lord,  I  laid  it  in  the  grave  and 
covered  it  up  that  no  one  could  find  it.  For  three  weeks  I  went  every  night 
for  two  hours  to  read  it,  being  the  only  time  I  dared  to  look  at  it.  At  length 
I  heard  that  a  lady  wanted  a  servant.  I  went  to  see  her.  She  told  me  I 
might  come  as  soon  as  I  liked.  I  got  my  Bible  and  went  at  once.  She 
was  a  member  of  a  Christian  Church.  This  was  a  mercy  indeed  for  mo. 
Three  months  after  I  became  a  member  of  the  churcli  to  which  she  belonged. 
I  am  still  in  the  same  place,  and  a  good  place  it  is.  I  must  also  tell  you  that 
my  father  and  mother  have  joined  the  same  chapel  nine  months  ago.  Their 
home  that  used  to  be  like  a  little  hell,  is  now  like  heaven.  It  would  do  you 
good  to  see  my  father  surrounde<l  with  fifty  or  sixty  poor  men  and  women, 
holding  a  prayer  raecthig  on  Sunday  evening.     Some  coining  five  or  sis 


S-2S  APPENDIX.  [Lf.cture  I. 

terested  in  these  things,  I  would  strongly  advise  them  to  attend 
service  some  Sabbath  morning  in  the  chapel  of  the  Orphan 
Asylum,  in  Guilford-street.  The  impressive  cathedral  service 
of  the  English  Church  is  chanted,  and  Dr.  Croly,  or  some 
leading  popular  minister,  generally  preaches.  I  think  I  never 
heard  such  angelic  singing  from  children. 

Orphan  asylums  are  favorite  charities  all  over  Europe. 

The  largest,  probably,  in  the  vi^orld,  and  the  last  institution 
we  shall  notice  this  evening,  is  the  Orphan  House  at  Halle,  in 
Prussia.  It  was  founded,  a  century  and  a  half  since,  by  the 
celebrated  German  philanthropist,  Augustus  Herman  Francke. 
I  never  visited  a  place  of  the  kind  that  appeared  so  interesting. 
I  was  courteously  shown  over  the  whole  establishment,  and  it 
then  contained,  orphans  and  pupils  included,  some  three  thou- 
sand children.  The  buildings  were  on  a  very  large  scale,  occu- 
pying both  sides  of  a  street,  for  some  distance.  Besides  the 
departments  for  the  orphans,  widows,  teachers,  poor  students, 
and  the  grades  of  Prussian  schools  up  to  the  gymnasium,  there 
belonged  to  it  a  Bible  house,  book  store,  dispensary,  hospital, 
museum,  library,  and  farm. 

Every  thing  was  regulated  like   clock-work.      The  children 

miles,  never  forgetting  to  pour  out  tlieir  prayers  on  Jurston-street  School. 
A  few  days  ago  a  friend  said  to  my  father, '  You  will  never  forget  that  school.' 
'  Forget — oh,  no,  never!  till  my  God  forgets  to  be  gracious.' 

"  Please  give  this  two  shillings  and  sixpence  to  the  Bible  Society,  as  a 
small  but  sincere  token  of  my  love  to  my  Bible,  which  is  dear  to  me  as  my 
life  is.  Pray  remember  me  with  many  thanks  to  Mr.  Clark  and  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, and  all  the  friends  of  the  Jurston-street  School.  You  will  wonder  how  I 
should  know  how  to  send  to  you.  My  brother  has  been  li\dng  in  London 
till  a  few  weeks  since.  I  begged  of  him  to  go  to  the  school  and  find  you 
out.  He  went,  watched  you  home,  and  then  took  the  direction  down,  and 
brought  it  with  him;    and  I  determined  to  write  as  soon   as  I  had  an 

opportunity.     Mrs. has  gone  to  London  on  her  way  to  America ;  she 

will  tell  you  any  thing  about  me  that  you  wish  to  know :  she  is  a  friend  of 
my  mistress.  Now,  my  beloved  friend,  I  must  bid  you  farewell.  God  bless 
you  for  ever  and  ever,  is  the  prayer  of,  Yours,  sincerely." 


Lecture  I.]  EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  329 

were  cheerfully  exercising  in  the  different  branches,  and  the 
singing  of  some  of  the  classes  exhibited  a  precision  and  culti- 
vation that  made  their  music  very  delightful. 

On  a  rise  of  ground,  at  the  end  of  the  street,  and  overlooking 
the  whole,  is  a  line,  expressive  statue  of  Francke,  erected  by 
grateful  posterity,  more  than  a  century  after  his  deatli. 

The  history  of  this  institution  is  so  extraordinary,  and  fur- 
nishes such  an  instructive  example  of  what  simple  goodness, 
under  the  most  discournQ^ino:  difficulties,  may  sometimes  accom- 
plish,  that  we  shall  dwell  upon  it  a  little,  for  the  sake  of  its 
admirable  lesson. 

Francke  was  a  popular  minister  of  the  Pietists,  or  Geraiaa 
evangelical  party,  of  the  seventeenth  century.  After  wander- 
ing from  place  to  place,  the  victim  of  change  and  persecution, 
he  was  at  last  rewarded  with  the  appointment  to  a  professorship 
in  the  University  of  Halle,  and  a  pastoral  charge  in  the  suburb 
of  Glauca.  Entering  upon  his  ministerial  duties  with  great 
earnestness  and  success,  his  attention  was  early  directed  to  the 
deplorable  state  of  the  surroundiog  poor.  His  labors  were 
prodigious.  It  was  customary  in  Halle  for  the  needy  to  visit 
the  houses  of  the  citizens,  for  special  assistance,  every  Thurs- 
day. At  this  time  it  was  a  habit  with  Francke  to  assemble  a 
roomful  of  beggars,  and,  after  kindly  feeding  them,  to  exhort 
and  instruct  the  adults,  and  catechise  the  children.  He  found 
them  deplorably  ignorant,  and  their  condition,  in  the  words  of 
his  biographer,  "  went  to  his  heart."  To  benefit  them,  he  had 
successively  established,  with  suitable  inscriptions,  three  poor- 
1)Oxes  in  different  places.  After  these  had  been  in  operation  a 
few  months,  a  person  dropped  into  one  of  them  four  Prussian 
dollars,  a  sum  amounting  to  about  three  dollars  of  our  money. 
It  proved  the  seed  tliat  yielded  a  mighty  harvest.  Francke 
was  delighted,  and,  even  with  so  small  a  beginning,  the  idea  of 
something  permanent  flashed  upon  his  mind.  "  Without  con- 
feiTing,"  says  he,  "  with  flesh  and  blood,  and  acting  under  the 


330  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

impulse  of  faith,  I  made  arrangements  for  the  purchase  of  books 
to  the  amount  of  two  dollars,  and  engaged  a  poor  student  to 
instruct  the  poor  children  for  a  couple  of  hours  daily,  promising 
to  give  him  six  groschen  (about  fourteen  cents)  weekly,  for  so 
doing,  in  the  hope  that  God  would,  meanwhile,  grant  more." 
Nor  was  the  good  pastor  disappointed.  He  appropriated  the 
antechamber  to  his  own  study  as  the  place  of  his  charity-school, 
and  commenced  operations  about  Easter,  1695.  Some  of  the 
townspeople  sent  their  children,  and  paid  a  trifle  weekly,  to  aid 
the  gi'atuitous  instruction  of  the  charity-scholars.  Encouraged 
by  the  success  of  his  first  undertaking,  Francke  was  induced, 
shortly  after,  to  commence  what  was  afterward  the  Royal 
School,  for  more  advanced  pupils.  His  funds  seemed  to  in- 
crease like  the  widow's  oil ;  and  the  more  he  poured  out  the 
more  came.  About  this  time  a  person  of  rank  offered  him  a 
donation  of  five  hundred  dollars,  to  assist  poor  students. 

A  few  cents  weekly  were  at  first  distributed  to  them,  but  in 
keeping  with  the  habits  of  the  social  Germans,  Francke  after- 
ward selected  some  twenty-four  of  the  most  needy,  and  appro- 
jDriated  the  money  to  giving  them  a  plain  dinner.  To  make  one 
thing  help  another,  he  chose  his  charity-teachers  from  these 
students,  and  thus  originated  his  teachers'  seminary.  Finding 
it  impossible  properly  to  care  for  his  poor  children  out  of  school, 
the  thought  struck  him  one  day  of  providing  a  place  for  keeping 
some  of  them  as  in  a  family,  and  on  mentioning  it,  a  friend  funded 
a  sum  for  the  purpose,  the  annual  interest  of  which  amounted 
to  twenty-five  dollars.  Four  fatherless  and  motherless  children 
were  brought  to  him  just  at  the  moment,  and  he  ventured  to  re- 
ceive them.  It  was  the  commencement  of  the  most  magnificent 
orphan  asylum  in  the  world.  Yet  the  funds  already  provided 
were  insufficient  to  maintain  a  single  child  for  a  year.  In 
the  words  of  its  pious  founder,  *'  the  orphan  house  was  by  no 
means  commenced  or  founded  upon  any  certain  sum  in  hand, 
or  on  the  assurances  of  persons  of  rank  to  take  upon  themselves 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  331 

the  cost  and  charges,  but  solely  and  simply  in  reliance  on  the 
living  God  in  heaven."  Contributions,  however,  came  gradually 
in ;  apartment  after  apartment  was  added,  till  at  last  the  site  of 
a  neighboring  inn  was  purchased,  and,  without  money  to  buy 
even  the  first  materials,  and  trusting  alone  in  Providence,  the 
good  man  laid  the  corner-stone  of  a  very  large  edifice.  It  is 
deeply  interesting  to  follow  the  simple  narrative  of  his  German 
biographer.  The  neighbors  sneered,  and  one  man  offered  to  be 
hanged  on  the  building  when  it  should  be  finished. 

Yet  year  after  year,  as  if  by  magic,  the  vast  edifice  steadily 
progressed.  At  the  commencement  and  end  of  every  week  the 
faithful  minister  assembled  the  w^orkmen  for  prayer.  Often  he 
was  reduced  to  the  greatest  straits  for  supplies,  and  once  he 
could  with  difficulty  purchase  a  couple  of  candles.  His  orphans 
sometimes  ate  their  last  loaf,  and  his  workmen  murmured  for 
their  wages.  At  these  times,  we  are  told,  the  good  man  hivaria- 
bly  retired  to  his  closet,  to  use  his  own  words,  **  wdth  a  certainty 
of  being  heard  by  Him  who  hears  the  cry  of  the  young  ravens." 
In  the  moment  of  darkest  despair  help  always  came.  The  post 
brought  bills  of  exchange  fi'om  some  distant  stranger  whom  he 
had  never  seen,  an  unknown  hand  sent  a  well-filled  purse,  or  a 
messenger  came,  perhaps,  bearing  the  bequest  of  some  departed 
friend. 

Twice  his  enemies,  envious  of  his  fame,  raised  the  hue  and 
cry  of  persecution,  and  misrepresented  him  and  his  project  to 
the  government,  and  commissions  of  investigation  were  appoint- 
ed, which  resulted  in  his  triumphant  vindication.  The  storms 
that  shook  other  men  but  rooted  him  more  deeply.  Opposition 
but  spread  tlie  fame  of  his  novel  enterprise  more  and  more,  and 
contriluitions  at  length  poured  in  from  the  rich  and  poor. 

The  King  of  Prussia  gave  two  thousand  dollars,  and  a  hun- 
dred thousand  bricks  ;  a  German  prince  dying,  bequeathed  tlie 
orphan  house  five  hundred  ducats  ;  and  a  physician  in  America 
sent  a  handsome  donation  in  a  time  of  the  greatest  need.     An 


332  AITENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

apothecary  at  Leipsic  gave  the  medicines;  the  common  hang- 
man became  a  contributor,  and  a  chimney-sweep  bound  him- 
self to  sweep  the  orphan  house  gratuitously  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Thirty-four  years  from  the  time  the  four  dollars  were^dropped 
in  Francke's  poor-box,  there  was  a  touching  scene.  The  ven- 
erable, dying  minister  was  come  to  bid  a  last  adieu  to  his  or- 
phans. His  attendants,  at  his  desire,  conveyed  him  in  an  easy 
carriage  into  the  yard  of  the  orphan  house.  What  a  change 
was  there  since  he  first  saw  the  spot !  Where  the  inn  stood,  in 
the  miserable  suburb,  thirty-five  years  before,  were  then  noble 
edifices,  consecrated  to  benevolence,  where  gathered  daily  more 
than  two  thousand  children.  How  sweet  must  have  seemed 
the  music  of  those  young  voices.  He  had  built  a  monument 
as  a  boon  to  posterity,  prouder  than  the  Pyramids.  His  dim- 
med eye  rekindled  with  animation  at  beholding  the  blessed  con- 
summation of  the  darling  purpose  of  a  life.  The  expiring  lamp 
flickered  brightly  once  more.  Again  and  again  the  life-blood 
quickened  in  the  heart  of  the  dying  patriarch,  till  it  thrilled  like 
that  of  a  hero  falling  in  the  moment  of  victory.  Overcome 
with  his  emotions,  feeble  as  he  was,  we  are  told  he  lingered, 
reclining  in  his  carriage,  a  whole  hour,  with  a  faltering  voice 
pouring  out  thanks  to  Heaven,  and  fervent  prayers  for  his  or- 
phan children.  Then,  as  if  his  work  was  finished,  he  returned 
home  to  die. 

Thousands  wept  over  his  remains  as  over  those  of  a  near 
relative,  and  a  whole  city  mourned  his  loss.  Many  generations 
have  since  passed,  but  his  example  remains  as  one  of  the  illus- 
trious good  ;  the  orphans  of  Halle  still  keep  his  birthday,  and 
thousands  of  helpless  and- lonely  little  ones  hay.e  since  lived  to 
bless  the  name  of  Herman  Francke. 

I  should  have  hesitated  longer  in  making  this  feeble  effort, 
but  for  the  hope  of  stimulating  new  purposes  of  beneficence,  and 
of  accomplishing  some  practical  good.  I  thank  you  a  thousand 
times  for  listening  so  kindly.     To  me  there  is  a  sacredness  about 


Lecture  L]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  333 

the  whole  subject.  Forgive  the  intensity  of  feeUng  which,  ia 
frankness,  seeks  to  be  reUeved  in  a  few  parting  words  of  ap- 
peal. Are  there  any  of  us  willing  to  devote  ourselves  anew  to 
the  service  of  the  young  ]  Every  where  around  us  are  pleasing 
instrumentalities  to  woo  our  affection.  Go  into  the  streets  on  a 
lovely  Sabbath  morning,  or  enter  any  of  our  spacious  temples, 
and  you  will  see  hundreds  of  little  ones,  with  glad  faces,  led 
gently,  as  lambs,  to  these  Christians  folds,  by  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  teachers  who  have  left  the  happy  domestic  circle,  or 
come,  wearied  with  the  weekly  labor  of  the  counting-house  or 
the  workshop,  to  make  the  Sabbath  a  day  of  religious  toil  in- 
stead of  rest. 

On  a  little  eminence  in  the  outskirts  of  our  city  stands  an 
excellent  orphan  asylum,  sustained,  as  I  am  told,  with  difficulty, 
from  year  to  year,  by  the  voluntary  gifts  obtained  principally  by 
a  few  active  and  generous  ladies.  In  this  noble  pile,  too,  are 
maintained  a  free  Youth's  Library,  and  gi'atuitous  lectures  and 
instruction  in  various  useful  branches.  With  our  money  or  our 
services  we  may  aid  one  or  all  of  these  delightful  institutions ; 
or,  perhaps,  we  may  assist  in  transplanting  to  our  own  soil  some 
of  the  European  forms  of  benevolence,  purposely  presented  for 
your  choice  this  evening. 

Shining  examples  are  not  wanting  to  clicer  us,  of  Franckes 
in  an  humbler  sphere,  even  amid  the  mercenary  strife  of  our 
Atlantic  cities. 

Some  who  have  been  present  at  the  exhibitions  of  paintings  in 
this  building,  may  recollect  a  sweet,  kind  face,  the  portrait  of 
a  patriarch,  with  a  ruddy  cheek  and  ])lacid  smile.  They  of 
middle  age  have  doubtless  often  recognized  it  as  the  endeared 
image  of  one  who  came  in  early  years  to  bless  them.  He  was 
a  childless  old  man,  who  went  about  doing  good,  beloved  and 
revered  as  the  friend  of  children.  When  our  city  was  but  a 
village,  he  led  the  way  for  years  to  the  first  Sabbath  school; 
he  aided  in  establishing  the  Savings'  Bank,  and  he  lived  to  bo 


334  ArPEXDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

enrolled  as  one  of  the  founders  of  the  institution  from  which 
finally  arose  the  Brooklyn  Institute.  Every  body  loved  him, 
and  throngs  wept  over  his  bier  as  over  that  of  a  common  father. 
Years  after  they  missed  him  at  the  children's  gathering,  and  an- 
swered his  smile  and  hung  upon  his  pleasant  voice  no  more,  as 
it  passed  from  one  to  another,  even  the  stranger  who  came, 
learned  reverently  to  pronounce  the  name  of  Robert  Snow. 

I  pity  the  human  being  who  can  not  love  a  child.  It  is  an 
instinct  implanted  for  blessed  purposes.  In  this  stormy  w^orld 
we  must  cling  to  somethmg.  We  read  of  prisoners  cruelly 
kept  in  some  Bastile,  till,  in  the  loneliness  of  the  dangeon,  the 
heart  has  so  yearned  for  companionship,  that  they  have  caressed, 
as  bosom  friends,  the  loathsome  rat  and  crawling  spider. 

Sometimes,  when  oppressed  by  bereavement  or  disappoint- 
ment, as  we  open  the  lattice,  we  may  be  briefly  charmed  by  the 
caged  songster  that  flutters  a  recognition,  or  the  heart-ache  may 
be  lulled  for  a  while,  as  we  nurse  some  drooping  bud,  till  petal 
after  petal  is  unfolded,  and  it  blushes  a  queenly  flower.  These 
are  not  sad,  and  they  contrast  soothingly  with  the  unquiet  breast. 
But  they  compare  not  with  a  cherub  child.  It  has  opening 
thoughts,  beautiful  as  dawn,  and  it  humanly  loves.  There  is 
music  in  its  infant  speech  more  eloquent  than  the  one,  and  in 
its  well-turned  limbs,  wavy  curls,  glowing  cheek,  and  speaking 
eye,  more  of  captivating  grace  than  the  other. 

It  is  only  when  through  the  medium  of  the  heart  we  have 
intimately  known,  that  we  can  appreciate  such  a  creature.  Be- 
fore it  is  tainted  with  our  full-grown,  selfish  nature,  it  returas 
our  affection,  as  the  gushing  fountain  gives  back  the  cup  that  is 
poured  in  it,  a  hundred  fold.  In  its  guileless  love  there  is  none 
of  the  hollow  mockery  of  deception.  When  you  would  hide 
from  the  false  world,  let  it  answer  your  sighs  with  smiles,  and 
laughingly  nestle  its  head  upon  your  anxious  breast;  let  its 
velvet  hand  caress  your  care-worn  brow,  and  its  joyous  prattle 
recall  the  bright  dreams  of  your  own  childhood ;  let  it  twine 


Lecture  I.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  335 

round  you  in  sadness,  like  a  creeping  flower ;  let  its  face  beam 
confidingly  upon  yours,  till  it  seems  as  the  likeness  of  Innocence 
fresh  from  the  sculptor,  and  as  though  the  curse  of  Eden  lingered 
ere  it  fell  there ;  let  you  gaze  upon  that  sinless  child  as  chosen 
by  inspiration  itself  as  the  type  of  the  pure  spirits  above — and 
then  you  may  begin  fully  to  realize  that  the  training  of  such  a 
being  for  a  happier  destiny  is  an  effort  worthy  of  your  highest 
energies.  It  is  just  in  the  stage  of  formation.  It  may  now  be 
easily  molded  into  an  image  of  deformity  or  beauty.  You  may 
be  reminded  by  the  politician  that  upon  early  influences  may 
possibly  very  much  depend  the  question  whether  it  shall  be  a 
future  Catiline  or  Washington — a  Robespierre  or  Howard.  But 
the  eloquent  voice  of  one  from  the  sacred  desk  may  reveal  more. 
He  may  tell  you  that  child,  so  impressible  and  so  lovely,  is  a 
young  immortal — that  fair  form  is  but  the  earthly  casket  of  a 
gem  that  you  may  help  to  purify  for  a  higher  sphere  where  it 
may  shine  forever. 

Yet  creatures  like  these  are  every  day  sinking  in  the  abodes 
of  misery  around  us,  as  pearls  in  the  mire.  Poverty  is  tempting 
their  lips  to  lie,  and  their  hands  to  steal.  How  would  we  feel 
were  the  bright-faced  ones  to  whom  we  cling  so  fondly,  sud- 
denly doomed  to  be  taught  by  hunger  and  cold  to  sin ! 

There  is  a  society  in  Paris,  each  member  of  which  adopts 
some  young  criminal  from  the  House  of  Correction,  leads  him 
back  to  virtue,  and  becomes  his  guardian  angel  for  life.  Let 
us  go  and  do  likewise.  Let  us  make  some  erring  child  the  in- 
heritor of  all  that  we  have  of  goodness.  We  shall  then  not  die' 
at  our  deaths,  but  live  in  another  generation. 

We  plant  young  trees  by  our  future  homes  in  a  neighboring 
cemetery;  and,  as  bending  already,  perchance  to  shed  dew- 
drops  over  the  remains  of  loved  ones  departed,  we  watch  their 
growth,  from  year  to  year,  with  fond  interest. 

But  in  half  a  century  the  elements  may  blast  them,  tho 
storms  lay  them  low,  and  our  names  may  be  foigoltcn.     What 


336  •        APPENDIX.  [Lecture  I. 

if  we  should  go  into  the  lanes  and  alleys,  and  rear  human  weep- 
ers, who,  after  the  snows  of  many  winters  shall  have  swept  over 
our  graves,  will  be  the  wiser  and  better  for  us,  and  bring  there 
the  offering  of  tears  !  The  very  act  will  make  us  happier 
ever  after. 

,  A  lady,  residing  not  far  from  this,  a  few  years  since,  rescued 
from  the  street  a  poor  fatherless  and  motherless  girl  of  thirteen, 
helplessly  ill  of  disease  of  the  heart,  and  with  no  claims  but 
those  of  a  houseless  stranger,  and  nursed  her  for  weeks,  as  if 
she  had  been  her  own  child.  I  happened  to  be  the  medical 
attendant,  and  it  was  thus  I  correctly  learned  the  story. 

One  morning,  before  dawn,  as  the  little  sufferer,  unable  to 
lie  down,  sat  half  reclined  in  an  arm-chair,  she  attempted,  in  a 
brief  intermission  of  pain,  to  sing  a  stanza  of  a  beautiful  infant 
hymn.  At  the  end  of  the  first  couplet,  the  fountain  of  life 
gave  way,  and  she  suddenly  drooped  her  head  upon  her  breast, 
and  died. 

Was  she  not  richer  for  life  who  taught  that  lone  child  the 
song  that  soothed  a  bursting  heart,  and  told  her  of  a  land  where 
she  should  be  orphan  no  more  ! 

If,  then,  we  would  create  a  well-spring  of  happiness  in  our 
own  breasts — if  we  would  write  our  names  on  the  hearts  of  a 
future  generation — if  we  would  bestow  that  which  may  be  a 
blessing  forever,  let  us  be  devoted  friends  of  the  young. 


LECTURE  II. 

EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR. 

Tins  evening  will  be  devoted  mainly  to  foreign  benevolent 
institutions  for  adults. 

If,  in  treating  of  children,  in  the  former  lecture,  I  may,  ac- 
cording to  the  tastes  of  some,  have  given  the  best  first,  instead 
of  last,  it  can  not  be  helped.     It  is  the  order  of  nature. 

Your  speaker  labors  under  the  disadvantage,  too,  of  not 
having  the  same  warm  sympathies  enlisted  in  the  present 
subject.  Sheep  were  never  so  interesting  to  him  as  lambs, 
nor  grown  people  as  the  little  wingless  angels  that  many  of 
you  keep  as  ornaments  to  your  firesides ;  excepting,  of  course, 
those  best  friends  of  all  mankind — the  ladies. 

Perhaps  some  among  you  may  have  thought  it  strange  that  a 
grave  disciple  of  Esculapius,  for  years  so  quiet,  and,  apparently, 
dreaming  of  nothing  but  fever,  inflammation,  and 

"  Calces  o'  fossils,  earth,  and  trees," 

should,  all  at  once,  become  talkative.  The  riddle  shall  bo 
solved  in  our  parting  words  to-night.  He  has  a  darling  pur- 
pose to  reveal,  which  he  has  been  cherishing  for  nearly  two 
years.  You  may,  perhaps,  excuse  the  prosy  middle,  if  the 
end  of  the  story  is  substantially  good. 

The  materials  from  which  has  been  condensed  the  matter  for 
this  evening's  lecture  might  easily  be  made  to  fill  a  volume  ; 
and,  from  absolute  want  of  room,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  leave  out 
much  of  the  little  romance  of  a  lecture — the  ornamental  sen- 
tences and  imagery,  that  constitute  the  flowers  with  which  you 

P 


338  APrENDJX  [Lkcture  II. 

are  wont  to  have  such  feasts  garnished.  The  entertainment, 
as  a  whole,  may  be  something  Hke  a  German  dinner,  in  which 
pastry  and  spiced  dishes  are  followed  by  plain  roast-beef 

Besides,  there  are  some  before  me,  with  projecting  brows 
and  thoughtful  faces,  whom  I  very  much  respect,  and  upon 
whom  there  will  presently  be  designs.  The  more  imaginative 
friends  will,  then,  forgive  me,  if  on  the  present  occasion  I 
adopt  something  of  the  plain,  argumentative  style  likely  to  con- 
vince such  cautious,  discriminating  neighbors.  These  are,  after 
all,  the  people  who  are  apt  to  accomplish  the  most  practical 
good  in  the  world.  They  are  the  sober  men  of  business  who 
value  common  sense  more  than  any  other  sense.  They  possess 
a  peculiarity,  attributed  to  that  interesting  variety  of  the 
species  with  a  large  brain  and  an  iron  will,  termed  a  Scotch- 
man :  the  only  way  of  getting  at  their  hearts  is  through  their 
heads.  Dry  as  these  may  be  to  the  less  patient  and  industrious, 
they  say — "  Give  us  your  facts  and  figures."  You  must  always 
present  them  with  the  arithmetic  of  your  benevolence. 

A  plain,  clear  statement  pleases  them  more  than  all  the 
rhetorical  flourishes  in  the  world ;  and  they  had  rather  have 
from  a  speaker  the  modest,  but  useful  light  of  a  student's  lamp, 
than  the  most  brilliant  display  of  sky-rockets,  fiery  serpents, 
revolvers,  stars,  and  suns  possible. 

But,  as  they  would  say,  to  proceed  to  business  :  Fancy 
yourselves  transported  over  sea  and  land  to  a  fairy  shore.  It 
is  twilight.  The  sun  has  just  set  beyond  the  hills  of  Baiae  and 
the  Elysian  fields  of  ancient  song,  and  seemed  to  melt  into  the 
calm,  blue  Mediten'anean.  You  look  upv/ard,  and  fringed 
with  the  warmer  tints  of  the  south,  there  is  spread  over  you 
the  sky  of  Italy — so  pure  and  ethereal,  that  as  you  gaze  upon 
it,  you  can  almost  dream  it  to  be  like  that  of  the  land  where 
night  and  clouds  are  not.  Gently  the  south  wind  fans  your 
brow  from  off  the  most  lovely  expanse  of  waters  in  this  beauti- 
ful world.     Eastward  is  a  mountain  light-house  crowned  with 


Lecture  II.]       EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  339 

lurid  fire  and  smoke,  and  encircled  at  its  base  with  tenaced 
vineyards,  covering  buried  cities  of  old  renown.  And  west- 
ward recede  romantic  hills ;  while  that  glorious  bay,  so  sweetly 
embosomed  between,  is  encircled  with  the  white  walled  dwell- 
ings of  a  crescent  city. 

In  the  distance,  toward  the  sea,  rise  fairy  islands,  like  eme- 
ralds in  molten  silver.  Presently  the  sweet  chime  of  the 
vesper-bell  from  some  half-concealed  convent,  comes  over  the 
calm  waters.  In  a  moment  the  little  sails  flutter  idly,  the  oars 
of  the  fisherman  droop,  and  from  hundreds  of  lips  escapes  the 
response  of  Ave  Maria.  You  fairly  revel  in  the  glories  of  the 
scene,  till  it  seems  like  a  remnant  of  the  Eden-world. 

In  this  ecstasy,  perhaps,  you  suddenly  cast  your  eyes  along 
the  shore,  in  the  dusk,  and  discover  groups  of  dark,  gipsy-looking 
creatures,  chattering  like  magpies,  with  gestures  like  monkeys, 
and  you  fancy  that  suspicious  characters  have  broken  into  your 
paradise.  Contrary,  however,  to  your  notions  of  real  imps, 
there  are  females  among  them,  and  they  appear  dreadfully 
lazy.  One  is  sitting,  perhaps,  in  the  kangaroo  style ;  his  neigh- 
bor is  wooing  the  gentle  sea-breeze,  leaning  upon  his  elbow; 
and  a  third  is  studying  astronomy  with  his  back  upon  the  sand. 
They  appear  to  be  Socialists,  for  the  little  fire  you  see  cooking 
their  supper  upon  the  shore,  seems  to  belong  to  quite  a  com- 
munity. 

Presently  they  help  themselves,  in  the  Turkish  style,  with 
Nature's  forks.  Their  frugal  fare  consists  probably  of  shell-fish 
and  maccaroni — which,  as  you  know,  is  in  strings  like  whip- 
cord ;  and  they  deem  it  an  accomplishment  to  bo  able  to  absorb 
it  in  very  long  pieces. 

The  droll  antics  of  these  children  of  Nature,  in  swallowing 
maccaroni,  remind  you  of  the  efforts  of  ducks,  with  very  broad 
bills,  to  dispose  of  long  spires  of  grass.  You  gert  right  among 
them,  and  (look  out  for  your  pocket-handkerchief!)  you  are 
greatly   amused    with   their    expressive   pantomine    and    noisy 


340  APPENDIX.  [Lectuuk  II. 

glee,  and  probably  think  them  the  happiest  beggars  you  have 
ever  seen. 

The  double  harvests  of  the  neighboring  vast  plain — the  ancient 
Campania  Felix — give  them  food,  for  a  song;  though  shabby 
as  Falstaff's  soldiers,  they  are  free  from  care;  the  sea-shore  is 
a  roomy  bed ;  from  the  knee  downward  they  rejoice  in  a  pair 
of  Esau's  stockings  ;  and  in  a  warm  climate  rags  favor  ventila- 
tion. 

You  have  been  in  the  eastern  suburb  of  Naples,  among  its  far- 
famed  lazzaroni.  They  consist,  latterly,  of  the  half-employed 
porters,  scavengers,  rag-gatherers,  fish-venders,  and  all  the  vilest 
refuse  of  the  2^opulation ;  the  indolent,  houseless  rabble  of  this 
southern  city,  whose  habits  of  basking  in  the  sun,  reveling  in 
the  open  air,  and  love  of  buffoonery,  have  from  time  immemorial 
given  them  a  distinctive  character  and  name.  Sometimes  they 
have  numbered  as  high  as  thirty  or  forty  thousand.  Ordinarily 
they  are  peaceable,  but  experience  has  proved  that  when 
excited  they  may  become  formidable.  It  is  said  to  be  a 
maxim  with  the  Neapolitan  government,  that  three  things  are 
necessary  to  keep  the  lazzaroni  in  order — food,  shows,  and 
gibbets.  They  briefly  but  very  valiantly  opposed  the  revolution- 
ary French,  till  the  invaders  adroitly  managed  to  conciliate  their 
patron,  St.  Januarius ;  his  blood  miraculously  liquified  at  the 
proper  time,  as  usual,  and  the  superstitious  mob  cried  he  was 
turned  republican. 

When  Murat  became  king  of  Naples,  he  wisely  attempted 
to  reduce  their  number  by  drafting  them  as  soldiers.  His  suc- 
cessors, to  the  present  time,  have  also  adopted  various  measures 
for  the  same  purpose,  with  such  success,  that  the  condition  of 
this  singular  race  is  decidedly  improved.  They  are  much  less 
numerous  than  formerly,  and  there  is  hope  that  some  one  may 
yet  live  to  see  the  last  of  the  lazzaroni.  One  of  the  chief  in- 
strumentalities, for  effecting  these  changes,  has  been  the  mag- 
nificent, "  Albergo  di  Foverif^  or  Hotel  of  the  Poor.     It  was 


Lecture  II.]       EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  341 

founded  nearly  a  century  since  by  Charles  III.  There  is  pro- 
vision for  making  the  young  of  both  sexes  acquainted  with 
mechanical  and  domestic  pursuits,  like  the  institutions  at  Rome 
and  Florence,  described  in  the  former  lecture ;  but  it  differs 
from  them  in  teaching:  some  of  the  hig^her  branches  more  elabo- 
rately,  in  the  retention  of  the  system  of  mutual  instruction,  and 
in  the  training  of  the  males  to  the  use  of  arms,  as  soldiers.  The 
structure  itself  is  veiy  imposing,  and  accommodates  about  eight 
hundred  persons. 

There  are  several  other  Italian  charities,  that  are  well  worth 
attention,  did  our  time  permit. 
V  As  early  as  time  of  the  Caesars,  it  wdll  be  remembered  that 
— owing  to  the  expensive  habits  of  the  Roman  matrons,  as  well 
as  the  drain  of  young  men  as  soldiers  and  civilians  for  the 
conquered  provinces — celibacy  alarmingly  prevailed,  and  im- 
perial edicts  were  issued  to  prevail  upon  the  obstinate  Roman 
bachelors  to  commit  matrimony.  In  modern  times — on  account 
of  the  immense  number  of  ecclesiastics  to  whom  mamage  is  for- 
bidden— a  similar  state  of  things  exists  throughout  Italy,  and 
multitudes  of  young  females,  who  would,  perhaps,  prefer  to 
grace  the  domestic  circle,  after  having  stood  their  probation 
without  a  suitor,  enter  their  numerous  convents.  The  supply 
of  these  fair  creatures  exceeds  the  demand.  But  the  Italians 
have  no  notion  of  letting  too  many  of  their  flowers  be 

"  bom  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  their  sweetness  on  the  desert  air." 

They  now,  however,  accomplish  their  purpose  in  a  different 
way.  Instead  of  forcing  their  tardy  bachelors  by  legal  dis- 
abilities or  fines,  they  tempt  them  to  enter  the  state  of  double- 
blessedness,  by  offering,  in  addition  to  the  fair,  a  golde^n  bait. 
In  many  of  the  Italian  cities,  amonc^  the  most  popular  institutions, 
are  what  may  be  termed  Dowry  Societies,  for  giving  the  poorer 
young  females  portions  on  their  marriage. 


342  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

In  Rome  alone,  there  are  thirteen  of  these  societies,  expend- 
ing yearly,  in  dowries,  more  than  thirty  thousand  dollars ;  and 
more  than  three-fourths  of  all  the  females  annually  wedded, 
receive  from  them  marriage  portions. 

As  you  walk  through  the  streets  of  some  of  the  cities  of 
Tuscany,  you  may  perceive  a  man  in  a  long,  black  gown,  and 
with  a  thick  hood  or  veil,  with  two  small  orifices  for  sight,  com- 
pletely concealing  the  face,  rattling  a  poor-box  from  door  to 
door ;  or  he  is  climbing  to  some  attic,  perhaps,  in  search  of  a 
sick  or  distressed  being  ;  or  a  company  of  three  or  four,  in 
this  singular  disguise,  are  bearing  a  wounded  man  to  a  hospital, 
or  the  bier  of  some  lone  stranger  to  his  tomb. 

These  "  Companies  of  Mercy"  are  associations  for  the  pur- 
pose of  performing  deeds  of  secret  charity,  and  embody  all 
ranks,  from  the  highest  nobility  downward.  One  of  the  most 
ancient  of  these  societies  is  the  Campagnia  delta  Misericordia 
of  Florence,  founded  in  the  thirteenth  century.  It  still  re- 
tains a  chapel  near  the  Duomo.  The  city  is  districted,  and,  as 
promptly  as  one  of  our  own  fire  comjjanies,  this  benevolent 
band,  in  greater  or  lesser  numbers,  as  may  be  needed,  are 
summoned  by  the  sound  of  their  great  bell.  The  present  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany  himself  is  a  working  member  of  this  masked 
brotherhood. 

It  is  much  easier  to  prevent  than  to  cure  poverty.  Except 
in  cases  of  sickness  or  calamity,  absolute  want  may  be  guarded 
against  in  two  ways :  by  furnishing  those  likely  to  become 
dependent,  with  constant  employment ;  or  by  affording  them 
facilities  in  prosperous  times,  to  lay  by  something  for  less 
favorable  seasons. 

To  answer  the  first  indication,  as  we  have  already  shown, 
with  the  juvenile  poor,  houses  of  industry,  and  other  insti- 
stitutions  have  been  established  in  various  parts  of  Europe. 

Of  this  character  is  the  EtabUssement  des  Filatures  of  Paris, 
a  charity  which  furnishes  hemp,  and  pays  annually  near  four 


Lecture  II.]       EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  343 

thousand  poor  women  for  spinning,  and  provides  looms  and  em- 
ployment to  one  hundred  and  sixty  weavers.  Such  also  are  the 
"  charitable  work-rooms"  at  Antwerp,  Ghent,  and  other  cities 
of  Belgium,  where  the  industrious  poor  are  secured  employ- 
ment. 

I  remember  to  have  been  much  interested  in  a  Freiivilll^ 
Arbcits  Anstalt,  or  Voluntary  Labor  Institution,  of  Vienna. 

The  principal  employments  were  spinning,  weaving,  and  the 
making  of  clothes  and  shoes.  Beds  were  provided,  and  tlie 
more  elderly  and  destitute  females  were  permitted,  if  they 
chose,  to  lodge  in  the  establishment  during  the  winter. 

In  the  capital  of  an  inland  fertile  empire,  supplied  by  tlie 
herds  of  Galicia  and  the  granaries  and  vineyards  of  Hungary, 
living  might  be  expected  to  be  cheap;  but  it  will  perhaps 
excite  surpnse  to  find  that  these  poorer  Viennese,  with  their 
families,  keep  plump  and  cheery  on  eight  or  ten  krcutzers 
(about  eight  cents)  per  day. 

To  answer  the  second  of  the  above  indications,  and  en- 
courage thrift  and  economy  among  the  lower  classes  of  Eu- 
ropean poor,  many  varieties  of  savings'  institutions  exist. 

The  great  Savings'  Bank  of  Paris  ( Caisse  d'  Epargnc  et  de 
Prevoyancc )  hasten  branches  throughout  the  city  ;  and,  fi-om  the 
support  of  a  foundation,  performs  its  office  for  the  poor  almost 
gratuitously.  It  receives  deposits  in  sums  of  from  one  franc 
(about  18^  cents)  to  two  thousand  francs.  In  eight  years  from 
its  establishment,  in  1818,  it  only  received  24,930,000  francs. 
Latterly  its  business  has  increased  so  that  on  the  1st  of  January, 
1845,  there  was  due  to  173,515  persons  the  sum  of  112,061,945 
francs,  bearing  interest  at  3J  per  cent.  There  are  in  France 
nearly  four  hundred  savings'  banks. 

In  some  of  the  provinces  of  i^elgium  these  savings'  insti- 
tutions under  the  name  of  Caisscs  de  Prcvoijance,  accommodate 
themselves  to  the  infinitesmal  gains  of  the  poorest,  and  assume 
a  peculiar  social  aspect.     Borrowing  the  idea  from  the  miners 


344  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

of  G-ermany,  they  have  instituted  little  savings'  banks  for  the 
benefit  of  different  trades  and  occupations,  so  that  the  linen 
weavers,  sailors,  laborers,  schoolmasters,  and  even  the  fisher- 
men, have  their  separate  organizations. 

Those  who  have  never  closely  observed  the  experiment  will 
be  surprised  to  find  how  much  the  disheartened  poor  may  be 
sometimes  encouraged  in  this  way,  and  the  comfortable  sums 
which  steady  perseverance,  even  with  very  small  gains,  will 
often  accumulate. 

Happening  to  allude  to  some  topic  of  this  kind  one  day, 
in  conversation  with  a  Prussian  fiiend,  I  was  referred  for  in- 
formation to  the  minister  of  a  very  populous  but  poor  parish, 
in  the  suburbs  of  Berlin.  The  fame  of  the  good  man  was 
spread  over  the  city ;  and,  in  addition  to  attending  to  the  spir- 
itual wants  of  the  needy,  he  had  instituted  a  delightful  con- 
trivance for  improving  their  temporal  condition.  Having  with 
him  a  number  of  students  in  theology,  he  prevailed  upon  them 
to  assist  him  in  managing  a  kind  of  penny  savings'  society 
(Spargesellscliaft),  for  the  poor  of  his  parish. 

Every  one  who  deposited,  even  the  most  trifling  amount, 
became  a  member.  Both  depositors  and  receivers  kept  books. 
The  smallest  sums  were  received,  and  the  average  amount  was 
about  five  silver  groschen,  or  ten  cents  of  our  money.  Yet  in 
this  small  way,  in  one  of  the  poorest  parishes  of  Berlin,  from 
April  to  November,  were  deposited  $4000.  Small  premiums 
were  given  to  those  poor  who  managed  to  save  something  reg- 
ularly ;  and  on  the  day  for  depositing  the  good  minister  fre- 
quently assembled  them,  and  addressed  them  on  subjects  de- 
signed to  improve. 

Some  of  these  savings'  societies  in  Berlin  go  further,  and  not 
only  receive  the  earnings  of  the  poor,  but  expend  them  to  the 
best  advantage.  At  the  seasons  when  flour,  meat,  potatoes, 
and  fuel  are  cheapest,  they  buy  in  quantities,  at  wholesale, 
store  up,  and  then  answer  the  drafts  of  the  industrious  laborers. 


Lecture  II.]        EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  345 

who  have  deposited,  in  provisions,  at  cost  price,  and  generally 
much  below  the  current  winter  rate. 

The  condition  of  the  poor  in  Prussia  is  greatly  ameliorated 
by  the  Free  education  which  the  state  so  carefully  provides  for 
the  children  of  the  humblest  peasant,  and  the  neglect  of  which 
is  made  a  crime. 

I  remember  being  struck  with  the  peculiar  kindness  and 
inoffensiveness  of  the  lowest  poor  in  Prussia,  and,  indeed,  all 
over  Germany.  Their  way  of  lodging,  as  you  meet  them  at 
the  smaller  country  inns,  while  traveling  into  the  interior,  is 
rather  grotesque. 

Arriving,  perhaps,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  you  find  the 
travelers'  room  ornamented  with  immerouslong  beer-glasses,  and 
longer  pipes  attached  to  broad  people,  with  queer  dresses  and 
little  caps.  Presently  the  host  calls  out,  "  Beds  or  straw,  gentle- 
men ]"  Then  comes  the  crisis  of  distinction  in  society.  You 
are  with  the  minority,  perhaps,  for  it  is  aristocratic  for  the 
wandering  peasant  to  aspire  to  a  bed.  Lingering  a  little,  you 
may  see  a  few  bundles  brought  in,  and  arranged  upon  the  floor. 
A  few  go  to  bed,  and  the  rest  go  to  straw.  Before  retiring  up- 
stairs, you  may  mutter — 

"  Man  wants  but  little  here  below, 
Nor  wants  that  little  long." 

There  are  some  classes  of  European  poor,  whose  occupation 
gives  them  certain  marked  peculiarities,  which  merit  a  particu- 
lar description.  Such  are  the  silk-weavers  of  Lyons.  Situated, 
as  you  are  aware,  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  country,  favorable  to 
its  production,  and  at  the  junction  of  two  navigable  rivers,  this 
second  city  of  France  is  the  great  emporium  of  the  trade  in  silk. 
Unlike  that  of  cotton  or  wool,  its  manufacture  is  carried  on,  in 
a  domestic  way,  by  master-workmen,  each  owning  from  two  to 
half  a  dozen  looms,  worked,  perhaps,  by  the  wife,  children,  and 
a2:)prentices,  assisted  by  two  or  three  journeymen  (compagnonsj. 


346  ArPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

all  crowded,  for  the  sake  of  economy,  into  two  or  three  small 
apartments,  the  filthy  home  of  the  master.  The  unwrought  silk 
and  the  patterns  are  furnished  by  the  silk-merchants  ( fahricans ) ^ 
and  the  orders  are  executed  by  these  head-workmen,  or  clicfs 
cV  attdlers. 

In  good  times,  by  working  from  twelve  to  eighteen  hours  a 
day,  the  best  journeyman  can  earn  from  thirty  to  near  forty 
cents  of  our  money;  and  food  is  so  abundant,  that  he  is  boarded 
and  lodged  by  the  master  for  half  a  franc,  or  not  quite  ten 
cents,  per  day.  They  are  an  improvident  race,  however,  and  in 
times  of  distress,  when  work  is  scarce,  they  often  suffer  fear- 
fully. Their  privations,  filthy  habits,  and  constant  toil  in  close 
apartments,  give  these  silk-weavers  a  sickly,  dwarfish  appearance. 

I  never  saw  so  many  victims  of  scrofula  and  deformity  to- 
gether, as  in  a  visit  to  a  hospital  in  Lyons.  It  is  stated  that 
half  the  young  men  of  the  city  are  exempt  from  military  serv- 
ice, on  account  of  low  stature  or  infirmity. 

I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  my  first  walk  through  those 
parts  of  the  city  inhabited  by  the  silk- weavers.  It  was  a  gloomy 
day,  presenting  a  vile  compound  of  rain,  smoke,  and  fog. 
Presently  I  became  bewildered  in  a  labyrinth  of  filthy  streets, 
so  naiTOw  that,  in  clear  weather,  the  sky  must  have  been  but  a 
blue  stripe  above ;  the  windows,  each  of  which  was  probably 
the  breathing  aperture  of  a  family,  looked  dismal  as  if  the  blessed 
sunlight  had  never  strayed  there ;  and  the  houses,  so  vast  and 
high,  had  a  dingy,  dark  hue,  as  if  they  were  in  mourning.  Thin 
forms,  with  hollow  cheeks,  glided  through  the  mist.  There  is 
enough  of  sadness  in  the  visages  of  the  poor  of  the  smaller 
towns  and  open  country,  even  while  their  features  exhibit  lin- 
gering traces  of  the  freshness  that  shows  that  the  air  of  heaven 
is  not  denied  them ;  but  the  pale,  corpse-like  faces  of  the  needy 
of  manufacturing  cities,  the  haggard  expression  that,  at  a  glance, 
tells  of  want,  vice,  and  herding  in  loathsome  abodes,  will  often 
excite  a  deeper  shudder. 


Lecture  II.]       EUROrEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  347 

Barely  repaid  at  the  best  of  times,  and  affected  by  every  ad- 
verse commercial  change,  the  thirty  thousand  silk  looms  of 
Lyons  often  ply  amid  deep  distress.  Of  the  various  classes  of 
operatives,  none,  perhaps,  are  more  miserable  than  they  who 
are  thus  toiling  to  clothe  the  rich.  Little  dream  the  fair  patrons 
of  their  beautiful  fabrics  that,  like  the  imaginary  palaces  of  the 
Italian  poet,  they  have  been  created  amid  scenes  of  loathsome 
suffering. 

The  public  charities  of  Lyons  are,  happily,  in  keeping  with 
its  numerous  poor. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  of  tliese  is  the  Hospice  de  la  Charite^ 
which,  in  addition  to  receiving  in  separate  departments  three  or 
four  other  classes  of  the  needy,  accommodates  some  four  hun- 
dred of  the  helpless  aged. 

The  French  pay  marked  respect  to  gray  hairs,  even  in  pov- 
erty, and  one  of  the  peculiaiities  of  their  benevolent  economy 
in  Paris,  Lyons,  and  all  the  larger  cities,  is  the  maintenance  of 
separate  comfortable  retreats  for  the  needy  who  are  rendered 
infirm  by  old  age.  The  establishment  for  this  class  at  Lyons 
hardly  rivals  in  neatness  the  kindred  institutions  at  the  Salpe- 
triere  and  Bicetre  at  Paris.  Males  and  females  are  in  separate 
divisions.  The  inmates  are  commonly  above  seventy  years. 
They  are  not  obliged  to  labor,  but  are  permitted,  if  they  choose, 
to  while  away  their  time  in  some  light  employment,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  earning  themselves,  in  their  old  age,  additional  comforts 
and  luxuries. 

It  may  be  interesting  briefly  to  notice  here  the  different  poor- 
systems  of  those  countries  where  the  subject  has  most  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  government. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  first  revolution  in  France  the 
Constituent  Assembly  entertained  the  visionaiy  idea  of  extirpa- 
ting poverty,  and  passed  a  law  in  1700  for  the  establishiTient  of 
charitable  workshops  {attclicrs  de  charite)  and  places  f  >r  reliev- 
ing the  poor  (depots  de  inendiciU)^  but  left  all  other  benevolent 


348  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

institutions  untouched.  In  the  year  II.  of  the  Republic,  the 
Convention,  in  their  wild  desire  for  change,  overthrew  the  whole 
poor-system,  suppressed  all  charitable  organizations,  and  seized 
upon  their  revenues.  It  was  declared  at  the  same  time,  how- 
ever, that  the  support  of  all  needy  citizens  was  the  duty  of  the 
State,  and  they  were  permitted  to  apply  directly  to  the  civil  au- 
thorities for  relief,  at  the  expense  of  the  public  revenue  of  the 
place  in  which  they  resided.  This  spoliation  of  public  charities 
continued  till  1795,  when  partial  restitution  was  made.  The 
successive  governments  of  Napoleon  and  the  Bourbons  endeav- 
ored to  heal  the  wounds  in  the  body  politic,  and  recognized  the 
principle  of  the  duty  of  the  State  to  provide  for  the  poor.  But 
at  the  same  time  they  encouraged  voluntary  benevolent  associa- 
tions. In  1834,  the  government  of  Louis  Philippe  organized  a 
general  board  of  inspection  for  all  the  charities  of  the  kingdom, 
to  which  even  private  societies  were  obliged  to  report.  Each 
department  or  city  of  France  provides  for  its  own  poor.  In  the 
towns  this  is  usually  effected  through  the  octrois,  or  duties  on 
provisions  and  the  like,  levied  on  entering  the  gates,  and  by  a 
tax  on  theatres  and  public  amusements. 

The  municipal  poor-organization  of  Paris  may  serve  as  an 
example  of  the  rest. 

In  walking  through  the  streets  you  may  notice  over  some  en- 
trance the  words  "  Bureau  de  Bienfaisance.''  There  is  one  of 
these  benevolent  offices  in  each  of  the  twelve  arrondisscments  of 
the  city.  They  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  General  Coun- 
cil of  Hospitals,  and  the  local  management  of  the  city  authorities 
of  the  distiict,  assisted  by  the  clergy,  twelve  managers,  the  com- 
missaries for  the  poor,  and  a  certain  number  of  "  Ladies  of. 
Charity."  Most  of  the  relief  is  dispensed  at  the  houses  of  the 
poor.  It  consists  mainly  of  bread,  meat,  fuel,  clothing,  medi- 
cines, and  free  professional  attendance  upon  the  sick.  Besides, 
there  are  granted  monthly  in  money,  three  francs  to  those  who 
are  palsied  in  two  limbs,  five  francs  to  those  who  are  blind  or 


LectIrk  II.]       EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  349 

are  upwards  of  seventy-five  years  old,  and  eight  francs  to  those 
who  are  turned  eighty. 

The  poor  of  Paris  number  nearly  a  hundred  thousand,  and 
the  expenditure  in  relief  at  their  homes,  on  the  above  system, 
amounted  in  1S44,  to  within  a  trifle  of  a  million  and  a  half 
francs. 

Some  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Parisian  poor  are  striking. 
On  fete  days  you  may  see  them,  merry  as  lazzaroni,  gather- 
in  2:  in  a  ringr  round  the  marvelous  exhibitions  of  Punch  and 
Judy  in  the  Champs  ElyseeSy  or  laughing  wildly  at  the 
tumblers  in  a  penny  show. 

But  the  place  to  see  them  in  their  glory  is  outside  the  city 
walls  on  a  fine  holiday.  In  consequence  of  the  octroi,  or  duty 
on  every  tiling  entering  the  city,  eatables  and  wine  are  here 
much  cheajDer.  Booths,  stands,  amusements,  and  low  eating 
and  drinking  places  are  on  a  corresponding  cheap  scale ;  and 
for  eight  or  ten  cents  the  artisan  may  have  a  dinner  with  wine, 
and  quite  a  revel.  Aristocratic  people,  who  wish  to  hurt  the 
reputation  of  the  place,  say  that  useful  animal,  the  horse,  aids 
greatly  in  these  feasts  ;  but  if  this  is  true,  it  is  no  more  than 
military  people  have  often  tasted  for  glory.  The  science  of 
French  cookery  for  the  poor  is  really  wonderful. 

They  tell  you  in  Paris  a  rather  tough  story,  of  a  huge  pot 
boiling  somewhere  over  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Martin,  filled  witli 
choice  bits  of  flesh,  of  diflerent  sizes,  gathered  from  various 
sources,  where  by  staking  two  sous  (not  quite  two  cents),  you 
may  get  your  dinner  in  a  sort  of  soup  lottery.  A  large  iron 
fork  lies  across  the  mouth  of  the  huge  cauldron,  and  each  pay- 
ment gives  you  one  strike.  You  may  fish  up  meat  for  a  din- 
ner, or,  like  all  risky  adventurers  in  this  world,  you  may  come 
off*  with  nothing.  It  is  said,  once  upon  a  time,  some  hungry 
mortal,  with  a  vigorous  thrust,  brought  u[)  on  the  end  of  the 
fork  the  front  of  a  soldier's  cap ;  the  police  came  and  searched, 
but  the  owner  was  not  to  be  found. 


350  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

The  females  of  the  lower  classes  go  without  hats,  and  wear 
little  gauze  head-dresses  ;  and  the  men  rejoice  in  a  loose  outside 
garment,  termed  the  blouse. 

Gentlemen  are  kept  by  the  guard  from  entering  the  garden 
of  the  Tuileries  in  blouses  ;  they  are  generally  blue  in  color  ; 
and  the  blue-shirt  race  are  as  distinct  in  their  character  in 
Paris,  as  are  the  blue-stocking  community  in  this  country. 

The  hloibse  is  a  loose,  cool  garment,  con-esponding  in  pattern 
exactly  with  what  in  the  West  is  termed  a  hunting  shirt ;  and, 
for  aught  I  know,  may  have  been  originally  invented  on  a  warm 
afternoon  by  the  mother  of  Nimrod. 

As  bordering  upon  France,  and  resembling  it  in  its  charitable 
economy,  we  naturally  turn  to  Belgium.  So  numerous  and 
miserable  are  its  poor,  that  it  has  been  termed  the  Ireland  of 
the  continent.  I  remember  being  struck  with  the  number  of 
ragged  children  and  beggars  in  the  neighborhood  of  Brussels ; 
and  on  inquiring,  of  a  Belgian  traveling  companion,  the  wages 
of  the  adult  laborer  in  the  fields,  he  mentioned  a  sum  amount- 
ing to  about  eight  cents  of  our  money  per  day.  Including  a 
fraction  not  fair  claimants,  who  are  so  on  account  of  certain 
immunities,  one-fourth  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Brussels 
are  said  to  be  inscribed  on  the  poor-list. 

Fortunately,  when  Belgium  was  added  to  France  in  the 
time  of  Napoleon,  the  revenues  of  the  benevolent  institutions 
escaped  confiscation ;  while  the  French  system,  with  some  im- 
provements, was  introduced.  The  provident  Dutch  govern- 
ment, on  gaining  possession,  established  agricultural  colonies 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Antwerp  and  other  places.  Nor 
have  the  poor  been  neglected  by  the  administration  of 
Leopold. 

Voluntary  charitable  societies  are  encouraged,  as  in  France, 
and  simply  required  to  forward  their  accounts  for  inspection  ; 
a  Bureau  de  Mendicite  has  been  established  in  every  commune  ; 
and  besides  special  gi'ants  to  particular  districts  in  seasons  of 


Lecti/re  II.]        EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  351 

distress,  the  annual  appropriation  for  the  poor  by  the  Belgian 
legislature,  is  usually  from  ten  to  twelve  millions  francs. 

In  1843,  the  Chambers  gi-anted  two  hundred  thousand  francs 
to  found  nursery  establishments  for  the  infant  children  of  manu- 
facturing towns,  similar  to  the  creches  of  Paris ;  manual  labor 
schools  for  the  youth  of  both  sexes  ;  children's  hospitals,  and 
kindred  institutions. 

Except  England,  perhaps  in  no  country  has  so  much,  in  pro- 
portion been  expended  upon  the  poor  as  Holland. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  in  which  the  United  Provinces 
achieved  their  independence  of  Spain,  a  great  many  rich  pos- 
sessions, previously  the  property  of  the  church,  were  confisca- 
ted, and  applied  to  purposes  of  public  charity. 

Benevolent  institutions,  richly  endowed,  at  length  existed  for 
every  class  of  the  needy,  and  for  the  relief  of  almost  every  con- 
ceivable form  of  suffering.  So  well  managed  were  they,  as  to 
be  held  up,  by  Cuvier,  as  examples  to  the  world.  These,  for- 
tunately, were  respected  during  the  occupation  by  the  French, 
and  escaped  by  being  curtailed  of  one-third  of  their  revenues. 

No  government  was  ever  more  benign  to  the  poor  than  the 
succeeding  one  of  William  I.  of  the  Netherlands,  from  1814 
to  1820.  It  improved  and  stimulated  existing  charities,  co- 
operated with  private  benevolence,  and  supplied  any  deficiency 
by  local  taxation. 

The  consequence  of  this  peculiar  train  of  circumstances  has 
been  to  make  the  poor  of  Holland  more  comfortable  than  in 
other  parts  of  Europe,  and  to  make  the  provision  for  them  very 
complete.  Yet  with  the  good  effected  and  the  comfort  aflbrdcd 
has  been  mingled  something  of  the  evil  of  lessening  the  neces- 
sity of  industry  among  the  poor,  and  of  encouraging  pauper- 
ism. By  recent  statistics,  c(jllatcd,  apparently,  with  care,  it 
appears  that  every  ninth  person  in  Holland  is  a  regular  pauper; 
and  the  whole  number  occasionally  assisted  by  charity  amounts 
to  the  startling  per  centage  of  more  than  one-fifth  of  the  wliolo 


352  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  IL 

population.  The  annual  expense  of  the  poor  exceeds  twenty 
millions  of  florins.* 

But  this  heavy  burthen  has  had,  at  least,  one  good  effect :  it 
has  turned  the  attention  of  the  patient  and  persevering  Dutch 
to  one  of  the  most  successful  experiments  for  entirely  reforming 
the  poor,  and  diminishing  their  number,  ever  tried. 

The  Dutch  General  Van  den  Bosch,  while  serving  in  the 
East,  purchased  an  estate  in  the  Island  of  Java,  and  there 
learned  from  a  thriving  mandarin,  his  neighbor,  how  to  make 
the  poorest  soil  richly  productive  by  careful  manuring,  so  that, 
on  leaving  the  island,  his  estate  sold  for  six  times  its  former 
cost. 

Returning  to  his  native  country,  his  eye  rested  on  some  of 
the  level  wastes,  covered  with  moss  and  sand,  in  some  parts, 
along  the  sea-shore,  of  Holland  ;  and,  with  the  heart  of  a 
patriot,  upon  these  utterly  barren  spots  he  proposed  to  make 
the  idle  and  degraded  poor  happy  and  thriving  citizens.  The 
weight  of  his  character  and  his  arguments  prevailed.  In  the 
year  1818,  a  "  Charitable  Society,"  with  twenty  thousand  sub- 
scribers, was  formed  to  carry  out  his  plans,  of  which  members 
of  the  royal  family  became  patrons. 

A  large  tract  of  barren  heath,  in  the  Province  of  Drenthe,  in 
North  Holland,  was  purchased,  and  divided  into  lots  of  three 
acres  for  each  poor  family.  Clothes  and  provisions,  for  a  time, 
were  furnished  ;  snug  dwellings  erected  ;  a  cow  and  pig  and  a 
plentiful  supply  of  manure  were  advanced,  on  unlimited  credit. 
In  honor  of  one  of  its  princely  patrons,  the  settlement  was 
named  Frederiksoord.  The  society  received  paupers,  at  a  cer- 
tain low  rate,  from  every  town  and  parish,  and  installed  them 
as  tenants,  with  the  privilege  of  easy  purchase. 

It  may  naturally  be  conceived  that  the  early  training  of  such 
a  vagabond  set,  often  the  very  sweeoings  of  the  streets  of  large 

*  Al^emeine  Zeitun^,  1846. 


Lecture  II.]        EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  353 

cities,  to  be  iiidustrious  farmers,  was  a  difficult  task.  Many 
had  never  touched  a  spade  before  in  their  lives,  and  were  about 
as  ignorant  of  agriculture  as  the  cow  and  pig  that  were  given 
them.  But  the  society  persevered.  The  uninformed  were  in- 
structed in  their  new  pursuits  ;  a  system  of  manuring  and  rota- 
tion of  crops  was  introduced  ;  strict  discipline  was  maintained  ; 
and,  finally,  rewards  and  medals  for  the  well-behaved  were 
instituted,  and  the  refractory  were  punished  by  being  sent  to 
earn  their  living  by  forced  labor  in  the  fields  and  workshops  of 
the  neighboring  penal  settlements  of  Veenhulzcn  and  Ommer- 
schatis.  When  there  was  no  field  labor,  other  occupations 
were  furnished,  so  that  all  were  fully  employed  ;  and  at  the  end 
of  the  day,  each  colonist  repaired,  to  the  public  store,  and  re- 
ceived his  wages,  not  in  money,  but  such  necessaries  as  he 
required.  The  enterprise,  being  a  charitable  one,  never  yielded 
any  pecuniary  profit  to  the  managers  ;  but  it  succeeded  beyond 
all  expectation  in  completely  regenerating  many  thousand  poor. 
Their  crops  were  luxuriant  ;  they  soon  became  happy  and 
contented  ;  and  some  rose  to  the  possession  of  wealth.  It 
was  my  privilege  to  be  intimate  with  a  young  physician,  who 
was  the  brother  of  one  of  the  devoted  clergymen  sent  to  labor 
among  these  colonists,  and  I  learned  that  they  were  well  sup- 
plied with  churches  and  schools.  After  thirty  years'  trial,  the 
plan  is  in  more  vigorous  operation  than  ever,  and  is  now  taken 
under  the  special  protection  of  the  goverament. 

The  knowledge  gathered  by  a  philanthropist  on  the  sands  of 
Java,  has  produced  a  harvest  in  his  own  country  that  will  ever 
be  a  blessing.  It  has  converted  a  dreary  solitary  waste  to  an 
immense  garden  dotted  over  with  cottages  surrounded  with  fruit 
trees  and  flowers ;  multitudes  who  were  once  houseless  beg- 
gars arc  now  gathering  in  pleasant  homes,  and  hnpefullv 
striving  for  a  happier  destiny. 

England  was  the  first  country  which,  by  a  system  of  tax- 
ation,   obliged    the    other  classes  to  maintain   the  poor.     As 


354  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

early  as  1602  was  passed  the  celebrated  statute  of  Elizabeth, 
which  by  the  imposition  of  poor-rates  compelled  each  parish 
to  support  its  own  paupers,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
English  pcK)r-law  system.  In  succeeding  reigns  the  needy 
gradually  became  very  numerous  ;  multitudes  of  able-bodied 
paupers  were  maintained  out  of  doors  ;  abuses  of  various  kinds 
crept  in;  the  guardians  sometimes  wasted  the  funds  in  good 
dinners ;  and  in  various  ways  the  burden  was  increased,  till,  in 
1831,  the  poor-tax  in  England  alone,  amounted  to  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  foity-five  millions  of  dollars.  It  appeared  by 
the  report  of  a  committee,  that  so  grievous  was  the  pressure 
of  the  poor-rate,  that  in  some  parishes  the  finest  lands,  in  con- 
sequence, became  untenantable. 

In  1834,  the  Poor-law  Amendment  Act  was  passed,  rad- 
ically reforming  the  whole  poor-economy,  intrusting  its  regula- 
tion to  a  central  board  of  three  Poor-law  Commissioners,  and 
introducing  a  more  strict  workhouse  system.  A  saving  of  ten 
millions  of  dollars  annually  and  many  improvements  were  the 
result. 

But  the  new  plan  of  economizing  by  dividing  families  and 
separating  husbands  and  wives,  created  loud  complaints  from 
the  English  press.  Much  discretion  in  these  matters  is  left, 
however,  to  the  local  guardians. 

I  must  do  the  justice  to  say  that,  in  spite  of  previous  preju- 
dices, I  was  rather  agi-eeably  disappointed  in  finding  the  En- 
glish workhouses  better  than  I  expected.  They  are  gen- 
erally cleanly  kept,  and  their  inmates  receive  a  fair  supply  of 
wholesome  food.  In  many  respects  they  resemble  our  own 
almshouses.  Latterly  some  ameliorations  have  been  made  in 
the  system. 

The  local  management  in  each  parish  is  intrusted  to  a  Board 
of  Guardians,  varying  in  number  with  the  population,  and 
chosen  yearly  by  the  rate  payers.  These  fix  the  amount  of 
annual  assessment  for  the  support  of  the  poor,  and  regulate  all 


Lecture  II.]       EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  355 

the  intenial  affairs  of  each  workhouse.  In  the  parish  in  which 
I  resided  for  some  time  in  London,  the  poor-rate  tlie  last  year 
amounted  to  two  shillings  and  six-pence  sterling  in  the  pound 
of  assessed  valuation.  A  medical  officer  is  appointed  to  each 
workhouse,  as  are  also  teachers  to  instruct  the  children.  Va- 
rious contrivances  exist  for  furnishing  the  paupers,  as  far  as 
possible,  with  employment. 

It  is  a  sign  of  the  times,  creditable  to  the  humanity  of 
the  age,  to  observe  that  within  the  last  few  years  scarcely  a 
session  of  Parliament  has  passed  without  some  important 
movement  whose  professed  object  has  been  to  benefit  the 
poor. 

More  or  less,  the  corn-law  and  fiee-trade  agitation,  the  penny 
postage  measure,  the  Ten  Hours'  Bill,  the  health  of  towns 
discussion,  and  the  education  question,  have  partaken  of  this 
character. 

One  of  the  first  peculiarities  that  attract  your  attention  on 
becoming  a  resident  of  London  or  any  large  English  city,  is 
the  necessity  of  constant  cleansing.  The  burning  of  such  an 
enormous  quantity  of  coal  in  a  damp  atmosphere  fills  the  air 
with  motes  or  globules  of  a  substance  like  lamp-black.  It 
tinges  the  houses  and  every  thing  of  a  sombre  hue.  You  may 
stand  before  the  glass  a  perfect  Adonis  in  the  morning,  and 
regard  your  own  beautiful  self  as  prim  as  soap  and  water  and 
starch  can  make  you,  and  returning  after  a  few  hours,  you  find 
your  "  human  face  divine  "  sadly  soiled.  There  !  right  be- 
tween those  two  pretty  wicked  eyes  of  yours,  and  just  on  the 
end  of  your  blushing  proboscis,  are  a  couple  of  black  spots,  as 
if  with  the  sweep  of  a  camel's  hair  pencil,  you  had  commenced 
begriming  yourself  for  an  Indian  war  dance.  They  are  merely 
the  remains  of  a  couple  of  globules  of  the  chemical  product  of 
coal  and  fog,  magnified  by  your  finger — a  little  distilled  Ethio- 
pian, the  real  essence  of  darkness. 

Of  course  the  laboring  poor  of  these  cities,  have  little  taste 


356  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

or  time  for  purifying,  and  look  rather  sooty.  They  are  not 
smoked  and  dried,  but  smoked  and  moistened.  So  filthy  are 
the  habits  of  the  lowest  class,  that  one  of  the  classical  English 
terms  for  the  beggarly  multitude  is  the  great  unwashed. 

To  benefit  their  health  and  add  to  their  comforts,  a  benevo- 
lent Act  was  passed  to  establish  baths  for  the  poor.  In  addition 
t^"^  the  jjrivilege  of  bathing,  at  certain  hours,  in  the  Serpentine, 
free,  the  laborer  can  now,  in  establishments  for  the  purpose,  in 
different  parts  of  London,  obtain  a  warm  bath  for  two  pence, 
and  a  cold  bath  for  a  penny. 

Not  only  are  the  poor  washed  but  they  are  cheaply  aired. 
To  favor  this  class,  all  the  railroads  in  the  kingdom  have  been 
obliged  by  law  to  run  what  is  termed  a  government  train  twice 
a  day,  carrying  passengers  in  plain,  covered  cars,  at  the  legal 
rate  of  one  penny  per  mile ;  and  little  iron  steamers  on  the 
Thames,  carry  crowds  of  passengers  for  some  distance  back- 
ward and  forward,  every  day,  at  a  penny  each,  and  upon 
holidays  at  half-price. 

In  1838,  the  British  Parliament,  passed  an  Act  for  the  intro- 
duction, on  the  English  plan,  of  a  poor-law  for  Ireland.  This 
has  been  modified  two  or  three  times  since.  But  in  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  the  country,  and  with  such  a  frightful  amount 
of  pauperism,  it  has  been  impossible  to  try  fairly  any  regular 
system.  The  famine  came  like  a  whirlwind  at  last,  and  over- 
whelmed every  thing.  Ireland,  which  before  had  been  noto- 
rious for  her  civil  commotions,  then  attracted  the  eyes  of  the 
world  by  the  greatest  spectacle  of  suffering  in  modern  times. 
Parliament,  as  you  are  aware,  promptly  granted  her  starving 
poor  fifty  millions  of  dollars,  and  help  and  sympathy  came  from 
every  island  and  continent  of  the  civilized  earth. 

Then  occurred  an  event  which  history  will  doubtless  treasure 
as  an  honor  to  the  species,  and  as  one  of  the  earlier  harbingers 
of  the  period  when  war  shall  desolate  no  more.  A  ship  of  war 
was  seen  entering  the  beautiful  Cove  of  Cork,  pierced  for  the 


LECTURfc  II.]        EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  357 

murderous  artillery,  and  bearing  aloft  the  stars  and  stripes  of  a 
distant  nation,  that,  but  a  few  months  before,  had  threatened 
battle.  But  she  came  to  bless  instead  of  to  curse  ;  in  place  of 
the  munitions  of  death,  she  was  freighted  with  bread  to  give  life 
to  famishing  thousands ;  and  as  she  struck  the  shore,  it  thrilled 
the  hearts  of  a  nation. 

During  the  height  of  the  famine,  violent  religious  and  political 
differences  were  measurably  forgotten.  In  the  local  commit- 
tees, appointed  all  over  the  country,  to  rescue  the  starving  and 
dying,  the  Protestant  minister  and  the  Catholic  priest,  the  land- 
lord and  tenant,  the  Orangeman  and  Repealer,  and  even  the 
hated  middle-man,  worked  harmoniously  to  save. 

As  one  of  the  wonders  of  civilization  in  the  nineteenth  centu- 
ry, the  Indian  corn  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  supplied  the 
place  of  the  potato  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

My  own  visit  to  Ireland  happened  to  be  toward  the  end  of 
the  last  summer,  when  the  worst  of  the  distress  was  past. 

To  judge  of  the  better  traits  of  any  nation,  we  must  take  them 
at  home  upon  their  own  soil.  And  those  who  have  shared  the 
generous  hospitality  of  the  Irish  gcntiy  in  Dublin,  or  at  their 
seats  in  the  country,  and  who  have  examined  Irish  character  as 
developed  by  the  advantages  of  wealth  and  education,  will  join 
with  me  in  saying  that,  mentally  or  physically,  there  are  no  finer 
specimens  of  the  human  race  than  an  Irish  lady  or  gentleman. 
I  speak  disinterestedly,  for  I  have  not  the  honor  of  a  drop  of 
Hibernian  blood  in  my  veins.  The  Irish  have  a  tradition  that  they 
are  descended  from  the  Phonnicians  or  Carthaginians,  and  really 
as  you  stroll  through  Phosnix  I'ark  in  Dublin,  toward  sunset, 
and  witness  the  fair  creatures  whirling  past  you  un  horseback, 
you  might  almost  fancy  them  female  descendants  of  (^ueen  Dido. 

But  the  contrast  of  the  illy  fed,  ragged  beings,  prostrated  by 
generations  of  poverty,  who  flock  in  myriads  from  the  little  clay 
cabins  of  the  open  country  is  really  startling.  Perhaps  I  saw 
them  at  a  disadvantage,  but  they  seemed  to  have  sunk  into  list- 


358  ArrENDlX.  [Lecture  II. 

less,  clogged  despair,  with  no  forecast  or  energy  left.  It  was 
harvest  time,  and  yet  hundreds  of  able-bodied  men  seemed  loi- 
tering idly  about  their  cabins. 

Swarms  of  poor  women  and  children  came  begging  and  dis- 
pensing blessings,  at  a  penny  each,  in  that  copious  dialect  of 
our  mother  tongue,  as  distinctive  to  us,  as  was  the  Ionic  or 
Doric  to  the  ancient  Greeks — the  rich  Hibernian.  In  one  des- 
olate country-place,  a  number  of  poor  creatures  were  sitting  by 
the  side  of  a  road,  eating,  from  wooden  dishes,  government  stir- 
about, made  of  Indian  meal,  salt,  and  water.  I  had  the  curios- 
ity to  get  out  of  the  conveyance,  and  go  into  a  little  temporary 
shelter,  where  a  couple  of  functionaries  were  boiling  it  in  a  huge 
iron  kettle,  and  doling  it  out  in  rations.  In  Dublin,  also,  a  friend 
and  I  made  a  pilgrimage  to  one  of  M.  Soyer's  famous  soup 
kitchens.  There  is  a  capital  story  told  of  an  ingenious  soldier 
foraging,  who  brought  a  stone,  cleanly  washed,  to  a  simple 
countrywoman,  and  excited  her  wonder  to  the  highest  pitch,  by 
showing  her  how  to  make  what  he  termed  stone  soup.  First,  he 
loaned  a  pot  and  water  to  boil  the  stone  in  ;  then  he  asked  for  salt, 
butter,  and  vegetables  ;  a  little  meat,  as  he  said,  just  to  "  color" 
it,  and,  finally,  bread,  and  a  spoon  to  eat  his  savory  dish.  French 
science,  in  the  hands  of  M.  Soyer,  equally  astonished  the  com- 
mittees of  Dublin  ;  and,  by  means  of  very  simple  apparatus,  he 
managed  to  afford  nutriment  to  thousands,  which,  from  its  abun- 
dance and  extraordinary  cheapness,  deserved  to  be  called  famine 
soup. 

You  are,  probably,  aware  that,  so  heavy  have  been  the  ills 
of  poverty  upon  the  Irish  peasant,  that  even  in  his  prosperous 
days  he  is  often  compelled  to  make,  the  pig,  that  useful  animal 
that  pays  his  rent,  to  occupy  the  same  position  in  his  household 
as  the  horse  in  the  tent  of  the  Arab — to  be  the  pet  of  the 
family,  share  in  fireside  joys  ;  and,  with  such  increased  social 
advantages,  to  become  the  most  amiable  and  interesting  grunter 
in  the  world. 


Lectur-e  II.]         EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  359 

Yet  this  degradation  is  pui'ely  artificial.  The  genius  of  her 
people,  capable  alike  of  the  most  brilliant  wit  or  eloquence — 
the  fertility  of  her  soil,  teeming  with  rich  vegetation,  till  its 
deep  green  has  given  her  the  name  of  the  Emerald  Isle — are 
such,  that  the  stranger  who  has  mingled,  at  the  social  board, 
with  her  warm-hearted  children,  or  wandered  amid  the  romantic 
glens  of  Wicklow,  or  the  fairy  scenes  of  Killarney,  must  have 
the  most  exalted  idea  of  her  natural  capabilities. 

Passing  from  Ireland  to  Scotland,  let  us  delay  a  moment 
to  examine  a  truly  benevolent  institution  established  in  Glas- 
gow, mainly  to  extend  shelter  to  the  crowds  of  poor  from  the 
former  country,  who  sometimes  inundate  the  streets,  in  search 
of  employment.  I  refer  to  the  Glasgow  Night  Asylum  for  the 
Houseless.  It  is  an  extensive  new  edifice,  supported  by  volun- 
tary contributions,  admirably  provided  with  baths,  and  a  fine 
walk  on  its  flat  roof,  on  which  the  females  in  the  industrial  de- 
partment take  the  air.  As  iu  the  similar  establishments  in 
London  and  elsewhere,  the  applicant  is  not  sent  supperless  to 
bed,  but  a  supply  of  plain  food  is  granted.  Within  the  last 
year  it  has  furnished  twenty-eight  thousand  free  nights'  lodgings, 
one-fourth  of  which  have  been  to  children. 

The  poor-economy  of  Scotland  is  purely  voluntary.  Many 
years  since  Dr.  Chalmers,  in  his  usual  vigorous  style,  instituted 
a  compaiison  between  the  English  poor-rate  plan,  then  gi-eatly 
abused,  and  the  Scottish  parochial  system  of  voluntary  relief, 
much  to  the  advantage  of  the  latter.  The  heart  of  that  truly 
great  man,  it  is  well  known,  was  warmly  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  poor,  and  there  is  much  weight  in  his  reasoning. 

Establishing  a  public  institution  like  a  j)oor-housc,  he  de- 
clares to  be  "  erecting  a  signal  of  invitation,  and  the  voluntary, 
and  self-created  poor  will  rush  in  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
modest  and  unobtrusive  poor,  who  are  the  genuine  objects 
of  charity."  Voluntary  bcjievolence,  he  asserts,  draws  no 
dependence  with  it,  is  not  counted  upon  like  a  legal  charity  j 


560  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  IL 

brings  the  eye  of  a  neighbor  to  discriminate  between  the 
worthy  and  unworthy,  makes  the  diflferent  orders  of  society 
delightfully  acquainted,  diminishes  the  numbers  of  the  needy 
by  inspiring  self-reliance,  and  benefits  the  hearts  and  heads  of 
the  rich  by  kindly  intercourse  with  the  poor. 

All  this  is  doubtless  true  of  religious  and  educated  Scotland, 
but  the  social  ills  of  England  and  Ireland  are  of  a  deeper 
character.  So  numerous  are  their  poor,  that  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  the  divine  principle  of  love  to  our  neighbor,  unaided 
by  the  strong  arm  of  the  law,  would  be  sufficient  to  prevent 
starvation.  Men  were  no  more  created  to  pine  and  perish 
with  cold  and  hunger,  while  the  blessings  of  a  common 
Heavenly  Father  are  shared  in  abundance  by  the  rich  around 
them,  than  they  were  born  to  commit  suicide.  If  free-will 
charity  will  not  save  them,  the  law  must. 

In  concluding  this  hasty  re%dew  of  different  national  systems 
of  relief  for  the  poor,  I  may,  perhaps,  be  indulged  in  the  practi- 
cal remark,  that  in  this  country  we  appear  to  need  as  yet  both 
voluntary  and  legal  provision.  Even  in  our  populous  cities  we 
have  exceedingly  few  American  poor.  None  who  know  the 
country,  and  are  able  to  work,  need  be  so  long.  A  few 
widows,  orphans,  and  sick,  constitute  nearly  all  who  are  native 
born.  The  great  mass,  then,  are  foreigners  in  distress,  often 
differing  from  the  bulk  of  our  population  in  language,  religion, 
and  habits,  and  therefore  naturally  unfitted  to  take  the  deepest 
hold  upon  the  sympathies  of  our  people.  But  they  have  only 
followed  the  footsteps  of  our  forefathers.  With  an  instinct 
that  clings  to  life,  they  have  fled,  perhaps,  from  starvation  and 
pestilence.  They  are  our  brethren — children  of  the  same  Father 
of  Mercies — and  can  we,  as  Christians,  let  them  die,  untended, 
in  our  streets  ] 

For  these,  then,  private  charity  is  insufficient,  and  we  need 
alms-houses  and  legal  provision.  But  the  more  the  redeeming 
influence   of  the   warm,   discriminating   charity    of  voluntary 


Lecture  II.]        EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  TOOR.  361 

societies,  or  of  irulivicluals,  can  encroach  upon  the  cold,  me- 
chanical provision  of  the  law,  the  better. 

The  last  benevolent  agency  I  shall  describe  this  evening, 
and  one  whose  advantages  impressed  me  very  strongly,  is  that 
of  charitable  pawning  establishments.  I  regret  I  have  so  little 
time  left ;  and  for  reasons  I  shall  presently  mention,  I  beg  your 
very  earnest  attention  to  this  subject. 

If  my  memory  senses  me,  the  origin  of  these  institutions 
may  be  traced  to  Florence,  in  the  fourteenth  century.  The 
finest  in  the  world  now  existing  are,  perhaps,  those  of  Paris 
and  Vienna.  They  are  pure  charities.  In  neither  of  these 
capitals  are  private  pawnbrokers  allowed.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  Count  Rambutcau,  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  in  fur- 
nishing a  written  special  permission  to  visit  the  public  charities 
of  Paris,  and  the  kind  attentions  of  M.  Sauvee,  the  Director,  I 
was  enabled  to  make  a  somewhat  minute  investigation  into  the 
economy  of  the  Mont  de  Fiete,  or  gi-eat  Pawning  Institution 
of  that  city.  To  the  urbanity  of  the  latter  gentleman,  I  was 
also  indebted  for  very  full  explanations,  and  a  large  roll  of 
documents  on  the  subject.  Those  who  may  naturally  be  dis- 
satisfied with  so  meagre  a  sketch  of  this  and  other  matters, 
will,  I  have  reason  to  hope,  in  the  future,  have  an  opportunity 
of  consulting  the  original  papers,  reports,  and  regulations  of 
various  European  charities  referred  to  in  these  lectures,  through 
the  liberality  and  politeness  of  our  friends  of  the  City  Library. 

The  Mont  de  Picte  was  established  in  1777,  with  the  ex- 
clusive privilege  of  loaning  four-fifths  (^i  the  value  of  gold  and 
silver  articles,  and  two-thirds  of  the  value  of  other  effects.  From 
the  moderate  profits  which,  for  safety,  it  is  obliged  to  realize  to 
meet  contingencies,  all  that  can  be  spared  yearly  is  returned  to 
the  poor  again,  through  tiie  medium  of  the  hospitals,  which,  by 
an  admirable  arrangement,  it  thus  helps  to  support.  It  borrows 
whatever  money  it  needs  at  three  per  cent.,  and  being  entirely 
a  benevolent  institution,  and  having  the  advantage  of  immense 


3G2  ArPENDIX.  [Lectuue  11. 

capital  and  the  best  business  facilities,  it  is  enabled,  after  pay- 
ing the  cost  of  storage,  insurance,  and  the  salaries  of  the  clerks 
and  officers,  to  loan  money  on  articles  pledged  by  the  poor 
at  the  low  rate  of  nine  per  cent,  per  annum.  Debts  can  be 
extinguished  gradually,  if  preferred,  in  payments  as  small  as 
one  franc  at  a  time.  If  the  articles  pledged  are  unredeemed  at 
the  end  of  a  year,  they  are  liable  to  be  sold  at  auction,  and  the 
surplus  is  carefully  returned  to  the  borrower,  on  application 
within  three  years,  or  after  that  time  it  goes  to  aid  the  hos- 
pitals. The  central  establishment  is  in  an  immense  building 
fronting  on  two  streets.  It  has  three  dependencies,  and  twenty- 
three  commissioners  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  with  branch 
offices,  in  which  a  slight  additional  per  centage  is  required. 
It  employs  about  three  hundred  persons,  and  its  business  is  con- 
stantly increasing.  Its  loans  in  a  single  year  have  amounted  to 
nearly  five  millions  of  dollars,  on  about  a  million  and  a  half  of 
articles. 

The  Versatz  Amt,  of  Vienna,  is  a  similar  magnificent  insti- 
tution, established  to  benefit  the  poor,  in  1707,  by  the  Emperor 
Joseph  I.  It  has  a  capital  of  more  than  a  million  of  dollars, 
and  resembles  the  Mont  de  Plete  in  most  of  its  provisions, 
except  that,  from  certain  advantages  in  capital  and  privileges, 
it  is  enabled  to  loan  to  the  poor,  on  effects  pledged,  at  as  low 
as  five  and  six  per  cent,  per  annum.  It  also  sells  at  its  auctions, 
when  desired,  any  unpledged  articles,  brought  for  the  purpose, 
at  a  charge  of  five  per  cent.  Half  the  annual  profits  of  the 
concern  goes  to  increase  its  capital,  and  the  remainder  to  pur- 
poses of  charity.  In  addition  to  its  capital,  it  receives  loans 
when  offered. 

The  confidence  of  the  public  in  these  institutions  is  un- 
bounded. No  one  hesitates  to  buy  of  them,  and  you  often  see 
respectable  shops  with  articles  marked  as  coming  from  these 
places.  Multitudes  who  would,  from  strong  prejudice,  never 
enter  a  private  pawnbroker's  shop,  hesitate  not  to  take  advan- 


Lecture  il.]      EUROPEAN   CHARITIES   AND   POOR.  363 

tage  of  their  facilities.  No  one  ever  suspects  them  of  unfair- 
ness. All  connected  with  them,  with  whom  I  conversed, 
seemed  strongly  convinced  of  their  beneficial  character.  I 
was  assured  that  they  had  a  direct  tendency  to  lessen  the 
temptation  to  forgery  and  theft.  In  Vienna  and  Leipsic,  in- 
deed, when  any  articles  are  stolen,  a  description  is  immediately 
forwarded,  a  look-out  is  kept  for  a  month,  and  if  received  after 
this  warning,  in  the  latter  city,  the  establishment  is  the  loser. 
Private  concerns,  though  in  reality  a  benefit  and  a  safety 
valve  to  the  tempted  poor,  can  never  accommodate  them  so 
moderately. 

Finally,  in  addition  to  other  recommendations  we  have  not 
time  to  state,  there  may  be  briefly  enumerated  three  great  ad- 
vantages connected  w^ith  them  ;  their  opportunity  for  invest- 
ment, yielding  a  moderate  but  sure  interest,  and  answering  the 
pui-pose  of  a  savings'  bank;  the  consideration  that  sooner  or 
later  they  expend  in  public  charity  all  their  profits ;  and  lastly, 
their  influence  in  opportunely  and  secretly  aiding  the  needy  in 
temporary  want,  preserving  their  independence  and  self-respect, 
and  preventing  thousands  from  losing  caste,  and  becoming  reg- 
ular paupers. 

One  naturally  looks  for  something  profitable,  something  prac- 
tical in  the  last  words  of  a  last  lecture.  Perhaps  after  so  weary 
a  flight  you  will  allow  me  to  come  home.  It  may  be  my  only 
chance.  I  confess  that  while  suftering  from  the  indisposition 
which,  to  my  regret,  caused  the  postponement  of  this  lecture 
at  the  appointed  time,  there  were  two  or  three  thoughts  that 
inci-cased  the  throbbing  of  tho  bruin — things  that  I  wished  to 
live  to  8 ay. 

Have  we,  as  societies  and  iiulividiials,  di)ne  all  wo  can  to 
bless  the  suflcring  pour  ? 

I  know  that  some  will  again  speak  of  the  pressure  of  busi- 
ness, and  the  want  of  time.  AVe  will  save  them  the  least 
trouble.     There  is  a  contrivance  just  to  meet  their  case.     We 


364  APPENDIX.  [LECTunE  IT. 

have  a  society  in  our  city  with  a  hundred  benevolent  heads,  and 
more  hands,  that  visits  every  house  in  it,  and  asks  the  rich  to 
give  and  the  poor  to  receive.  It  discreetly  bestows  bread  to 
the  hungry,  clothes  to  the  naked,  kind  words  to  the  disheart- 
ened, and  advice  and  attendance  to  the  sick.  It  can  detect 
imposition  or  true  suffering  better  than  any  unpractised  indi- 
vidual, and  it  will  take  time  to  distribute  all  your  alms.  Within 
about  three  years  it  has  relieved  some  ten  thousand  poor.  It 
has  careful  and  humane  visitors  for  every  square  and  street, 
advisory  committees  to  consult  with  them  in  every  ward,  a 
central  office  and  agent  for  constant  reference,  and  an  executive 
committee  to  aid  in  directing  the  whole.  Truly  the  originator 
of  this  noble  plan  deserves  a  monument.  Nowhere  in  the  old 
world  have  T  seen  any  institution  better  adapted  to  its  purpose, 
more  carefully  managed,  or  more  truly  benevolent  than  the 
Brooklyn  Association  for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the  Poor. 

To  revert  to  another  of  these  anxious  thoughts :  in  the 
most  populous  cities  of  Europe,  there  are  always  extensive 
pleasure  grounds  and  parks,  open  to  the  poorest.  They  may 
live  in  the  filthiest  garrets  and  in  the  dampest  cellars,  but 
the  sight  of  flowers,  and  green  trees,  and  the  broad  expanse 
of  heaven  is  not  denied  them.  You  may  see  poor  women  knit- 
ting and  sewing,  and  children  playing,  in  the  parks  of  Paiis  or 
London,  all  day  long. 

I  feel  more  free  to  allude  to  this  subject,  because  a  certain 
local  matter,  that  agitated  us  a  few  weeks  since,  is  settled.  I 
am  no  partisan.  Leaving  the  question  as  to  where  or  how 
parks  shall  be  opened,  to  the  "  city  fathers,''  I  wish  to  be  in- 
dulged in  a  passing  remark  upon  the  general  question,  on  the 
simple  ground  of  humanity. 

The  rich  have  roomy  inclosures  ornamented  with  flowers  and 
greenhouses,  and  they  can  take  the  air  in  carriages  or  on  horse- 
back ;  in  our  long,  ojppressive  summers,  even  our  middling 
classes  go  awhile  to  the  country;  but  the  helpless  poor  must 


Lecture  11.]       EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  365 

welter  and  pine  in  crowded  apartments,  looking  upon  lanes  and 
oflTensive  alleys  the  year  round.  I  speak  disinterestedly,  for 
the  more  parks  you  have,  the  less  occasion  will  you  have  for 
our  services  as  physicians.  And  I  can  not  help  here  solemnly 
recording  a  professional  opinion,  based  upon  observation  for 
some  years,  that  a  leading  cause  of  the  gi-eat  mortality  in 
children  in  our  American  cities,  is  the  want  of  large  open 
spaces,  and  of  fresh  air.  You  have  all  noticed  those  thin  young 
creatures,  the  sewing  girls,  that  with  little  parcels  steal  like 
spectres  past  you  in  the  edge  of  the  evening.  And  in  a  mo- 
ment, perhaps,  you  think  of  poor  Hood's  legacy  to  humanity, 
the  "  Song  of  the  Shirt,"  and  the  thrilling  murmur  that 

"  Bread  should  be  so  dear, 
Aud  flesh  and  blood  so  cheap !" 

Well,  one  of  these  young  sufferers  comes  to  us  for  advice.  One 
glance  at  her  pale,  sickly  face,  careworn  even  in  youth,  tells 
she  is  ill.  We  ask  how  late  she  woiks  ]  and  she  replies,  "  some- 
times till  midnight,  and  sometimes  later."  "  But  why  do  you 
work  so  hard  ]"  and  perhaps  she  murmurs,  "  I  have  a  mother, 
who  is  a  widow,  and  young  sisters."  We  feel  her  pulse,  look 
gravely  professional,  and  tell  her  she  is  killing  herself — pre- 
scribe a  walk  every  day,  and  direct  her  to  remain  out  a  few 
hours  to  get  the  fresh  air.  And  then  her  wan  face  rests  upon  us, 
and  in  a  faint,  desponding  tone  she  asks — **  Where  ]"  She  has 
not  time  to  go  far.  I  wish  I  could  thunder  in  the  ears  of  every 
citizen,  "  Where  .?"  If  she  were  in  some  cities,  we  could  send 
her  to  a  splendid  park,  where  she  might  sit  upon  the  benches 
under  the  trees,  and  amid  the  song  of  birds  aud  the  prattle  of 
children,  sew  all  the  day.  You  may  stint  the  poor  in  every 
thing  else,  if  it  is  your  cruel  will,  but  give  thom,  we  beseech 
you,  the  air  (//heaven. 

There  is  a  fond  dream — T  hesitate — yes — I  love  my  adopted 
home — I  will  tell  it  you.     N<jt  far  from  this  is  a  romantic  spot, 


366  AITENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

overlooking  the  beautiful  panorama  of  New- York  bay,  the 
finest  location  for  a  pleasure  ground  in  the  world.  I  have  dared 
to  dream  of  a  Park  on  Brooklyn  Heights. 

Have  any  of  you  lain  for  weeks  and  months  in  agonizing  pain 
or  burning  fever?  If  so,  you  have  probably  been  tenderly 
nursed,  and  your  anguish  has  been  soothed  by  every  attention 
that  generous  hearts  and  skillful  heads  could  devise.  What 
if  these  and  poverty  had  come  together  ]  I  often  fear  that 
we  never  sufficiently  pity  the  sick  poor.  In  the  whirl  of 
business  we  hear  not  their  moans,  and  know  not  their  sor- 
rows. 

I  know  some  will  plead  that  they  can  not  leave  the  counting- 
house  or  workshop  to  turn  good  Samaritan,  or  bring  the  victim 
of  small-pox  or  fever  into  the  bosom  of  their  families.  There  is 
a  way  to  accomplish  the  good,  and  avoid  all  this. 

A  company  has  been  originated  in  our  city,  in  the  cheapest 
and  best  way,  to  attend  the  sick.  The  stock  is  only  twenty- 
five  dollars  per  share.  Excellent  business  men  direct  its  affairs 
without  any  salary.  Skillful  physicians  and  surgeons  attend 
gratuitously.  To  such  advantage  is  every  thing  contrived,  that 
a  poor  sick  man  can  have  shelter,  fuel,  nursing,  medicine,  food, 
and  professional  attendance,  for  a  month,  all  for  twelve  dollars. 
And  every  thing  is  just  what  is  best  for  the  patient. 

By  investing  two  hundred  dollars  in  the  stock  of  this  com- 
pany, the  interest  will  every  year  enable  you  to  act  the  good 
Samaritan,  by  providing  for  every  want  of  four  sick  persons  for 
a  week,  or  one  patient  for  a  whole  month.  All  night  long,  while 
you  are  sweetly  sleeping  at  home,  he  will  be  watched  by  ex- 
perienced nurses,  and  a  physician  will  be  within  call. 

Every  year  in  your  life  will  repeat  the  scene.  When  death  shall 
come — that  crisis  when  the  miser  unlooses  his  gripe,  and  wealth 
can  purchase  but  a  shroud  and  coffin — you  will  feel  the  con- 
sciousness of  having  helped  to  assuage  the  pangs  of  others. 
When  you  shall  have  long  lain  in  your  grave,  your  bounty  will 


Lecture  II.]      EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  POOR.  3G7 

Btill  be  blessing.     Tbe  scene  will  be  enacted  over  again  every 
year  to  the  end  of  time. 

How  much  will  you  give  to  the  Brooklyn  City  Hospital  1 
But  besides  all  this,  are  needed  your  personal  services,  your 
individual  charity. 

Alone,  and  seen  only  by  the  eye  of  Heaven,  it  is  delightful, 
sometimes,  to  steal  noiselessly  to  the  lowliest  haunts  of  sorrow. 
Let  us  not  wait  to  be  ostentatiously  marshaled.  Genuine  love 
for  the  helpless,  like  the  purest  earthly  affection,  prefers  to  man- 
ifest itself  delicately,  and  in  secret.  Like  the  ivy,  it  tenderly 
creeps  to  bind  the  shattered  fabric,  and  gladden  the  abodes  of 
desolation.     Such  benevolence  is  a  spontaneous  principle  that 

"  is  not  strained — 
It  droppetb  as  the  gentle  rain  from  heaven 
Upon  the  place  beneath  ;  it  is  twice  blessed — 
It  blesseth  him  who  gives,  and  him  who  takes.'' 

The  discontented  are  often  made  suddenly  rich  and  thankful, 
by  the  sojourn  of  a  single  hour  in  the  abodes  of  wretchedness. 

What  happiness  would  it  create  if  every  comfortable  citizen 
were  to  become  the  constant  benefactor  of  but  one  poor  neighbor? 

In  addition  to  the  mere  necessaries  of  life,  the  poor  need  your 
sympathy — your  friendship.  Such  gentle  and  yet  strong  influ- 
ences will  do  more  than  any  thing  else  to  redeem  them. 

That  young  man,  once  the  pride  of  a  humble  hearth,  who, 
hopelessly  crushed,  is  now  wearing  the  manacles  of  a  convict, 
and  sleeping,  to-night,  like  a  dangerous  beast,  within  the  iron 
bars  of  a  state  prison,  might  have  triumphed,  perhaps,  over  temp- 
tation, had  he  known  one  virtuous  friend,  too  dear  to  disgrace. 

Close  inspection  is  necessary  to  make  us  properly  feel  for  the 
needy. 

After  all  our  professed  humanity,  prc)])ably  wc  I'cally  know 
but  little  of  the  miseries  of  the  jic^or.  Do  we,  for  example,  fairly 
understand  the  sensation  of  starving  hunger  ]     How  many  pres- 


:i6-8  APPENDIX.  [Lkcture  II. 

ent  have  ever  w^anted  bread  for  a  whole  day  ?  Let  any  of  us, 
in  ravenous  health,  go  three  days  without  tasting  food,  and  we 
will  not  refuse  to  feed  the  hungry  again  while  we  live.  It  will 
cure  us  of  hardness  of  heart  as  effectually  as,  before  the  era  of 
temperance  pledges,  the  celebrated  Dr.  Chambers'  medicine 
cured  drunkenness. 

But  what  if  you  could  take  the  place  of  the  poor  man,  and 
with  you  starved  a  mother,  or  wife  and  children,  and  what  if  to 
this  were  added  shivering  cold,  with  an  empty  grate  and  ragged 
family,  and  pining  sickness,  and  the  scorn  of  the  cruel  world  ! 
It  is  more  than  flesh  and  blood  can  bear.  If  pity  and  love  will 
not  move  you,  we  will  appeal  to  your  fears.  I  am  no  apologist 
for  crime,  but  I  tell  you  the  stern  truth,  that  if  you  neglect  to 
care  for  the  j)Oor,  they  may  he  driven  to  'provide  for  themselves. 
Starvation  and  cold,  and  the  contempt  of  the  heartless,  may 
madden  men  to  almost  any  thing. 

Hush !  methinks  I  hear  a  noise  in  the  street.  It  is  a  cry  for 
the  watchmen.  In  fancy  we  hurry  to  the  crowd.  They  have 
found  a  man  lying  on  the  pavement,  apparently  dead,  and  as 
you  grope  about  him  in  the  dark,  you  dip  your  fingers  in  a  pool 
of  warm  blood.  A  light  is  brought.  His  watch  and  money 
are  gone.  There  are  fearful  gashes  in  the  skull,  and  you  turn 
dizzy  as  they  pull  from  nis  wounds  the  gray  locks,  all  stained 
with  oozing  brain  and  gore.  They  turn  him  with  his  face  up- 
ward. It  is  an  old  man,  and  your  heart  beats  violently,  he  looks 
so  like  your  own  father ! 

Would  that  this  were  all  fiction,  but  you  remember  too  well 
a  scene  in  a  neighboring  street,  but  a  few  months  since,  to  know 
that  it  is  not. 

The  hardened  villain  that,  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  God  and 
man,  struck  him  to  the  ground,  with  the  deliberate  intent  to 
murder  for  gold,  was  once,  perhaps,  a  famished  child,  whom 
want  drove  first  to  steal,  or,  three  or  four  years  since,  one 
stormy  winter's  night,  he  watched  over  his  faint  and  shivering 


Lkctuue  II.]        EUROPEAN  CHARITIES  AND  rOOR.  369 

wife  and  children,  till,  frantic,  he  sought  the  highway  for  plun- 
der, and  became  a  changed  man. 

If  you  wish  to  walk  safely  through  the  streets — if  you  desire 
to  have  fewer  bars  and  bolts,  and  to  rest  tranquilly  with  your 
wives  and  little  ones,  without  deadly  weapons  by  your  pillows 
to  meet  the  daring  housebreaker,  you  must  feed  and  clothe 
the  poor. 

But  these  are  disagi-eeable  truths,  and  we  turn  to  a  more 
pleasing  argument. 

The  last  consideration  in  this  part  of  our  plea  shall  be 
something  sacred.  We  appeal  to  you  to  bless  the  needy  in  the 
name  of  the  genius  of  your  faith.  Christianity  is  emphatically 
the  great  religion  of  benevolence.  No  other  belief  ever  founded 
a  hospital  or  maintained  an  alms-house.  We  have  built  mag- 
nificent temples,  till  ours  is  termed  the  "  city  of  churches  ;" 
but  liave  we  duly  provided  homes  for  the  sick  and  distressed  1 
Perhaps  we  have  never  lightly  understood  the  creed  we  pro- 
fess. Its  volume  of  revelation  is  a  text  book  of  charity.  It 
illustrates  its  cardinal  doctrine  of  "  love  to  our  neighbor,"  by 
telling  us  of  the  prophet  who  wrought  a  miracle  to  save  a 
famished  widow,  and  of  a  good  Samaritan,  who  rested  on  his 
journey  to  rescue  a  wounded  traveler.  To  encourage  woman 
in  one  of  her  holiest  missions,  it  depicts  the  beautiful  death- 
scene  of  one  who  made  garments  for  the  poor,  and,  dying, 
drew  them  around  her,  as  if  to  embalm  the  cold  coipse  with 
their  tears,  till  their  lamentations  brought  a  messenger  of 
Heaven  with  the  life-giving  word,  Arise. 

The  Hero  of  its  history  lived  but  to  bless.  If  the  hungry 
murmured  by  thousands,  he  fed  them  ;  when  the  filtliy  leper 
and  the  halting  paralytic  came  crowding  to  him,  he  sent  them 
on  their  way  rejoicing.  A  blind  beggar  could  not  raise  a 
plaintive  cry  in  the  throng,  but  the  Redeemer  stopped  to  listen, 
and  the  liglit  of  Heaven  flashed  through  his  sightless  balls.  With 
disconsolate  sisters  he  went  to  weep  over  the  grave  of  their 


370  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

brother,  and  then  joined  together  those  whom  death  had 
parted.  He  could  not  pass  the  bier  of  a  widow's  son,  without 
giving  joy  to  the  broken-hearted  mother.  Then,  as  a  crowning 
act  of  his  benevolent  life,  he  died  for  others. 

But  in  his  last  will  and  testament,  he  left  a  startling  revela- 
tion, an  impressive  charge.  As  if  conscious  that  inhumanity- 
would  be  the  great  besetting  sin  of  his  followers,  to  warn 
them,  he  declared  his  beloved  poor  should  personify  i7m, 
to  the  end  of  time.  Surely,  in  his  prophetic  account  of  the 
future  judgment,  he  would  not  have  passed  by  theft,  murder, 
and  black  deeds,  of  whose  enormity  men  seem  more  conscious, 
to  reprove  this  more  common  treason,  without  some  purpose. 

Imagine  that  scene,  when  he  "who  spake  as  never  man 
spake,"  said :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  these 
little  ones,  ye  did  it  not  to  me."  Can  we  realize  all  this  'i 
Do  we,  who  in  various  churches  of  our  city  every  Sabbath 
profess  to  offer  our  devotions  with  so  much  sincerity,  ever 
remember  that  the  despised  ones  in  the  alleys  and  lanes  around 
us,  are  the  representatives  of  the  Saviour  ]  Yet  in  the  face  of 
these  solemn  lessons,  this  glaring  fact,  how  seldom  do  we  visit 
them — how  little  do  we  deny  ourselves  to  serve  them  ! 

Oh,  I  fear  we  have  shut  our  eyes  and  ears  to  the  kindlier 
teachings  of  our  faith. 

Let  us  who  are  nominal  Christians,  by  the  exercise  of 
Heaven-born  charity  among  the  needy,  daily  and  weekly  prove 
our  "  faith  by  our  works,"  and  humbly  hope,  in  the  world 
beyond  the  grave,  to  receive  the  blessed  salutation — "  I  was  an 
hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave 
me  drink  ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in ;  naked,  and 
ye  clothed  me  ;  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me." 

In  the  beginning,  I  promised  you  an  explanation  at  the  con- 
clusion.    Allow  me  briefly  to  say  that  it  is  proposed  to  organize 


Lkctuke  II.]        EUROPEAN  CIIARITIi:S  AND  TOOR.  371 

in  oar  own  city,  an  iiistltution  similar  to  the  charitable  pawning 
establishments  of  Paris  and  Vienna,  just  dcscribccl.  I  have  not 
time  now  to  do  justice  to  its  advantas^es.  AVe  have  not  as  yet, 
I  believe,  any  private  interests  that,  for  this  benevolent  purpose, 
need  be  affected. 

It  will,  if  established,  be  an  auxiliaiy  to  the  Saving's  Bank, 
and  Poor  Association. 

It  is  just  the  thing  for  our  Atlantic  cities,  where  the  emigrant 
poor  accumulate  so  rapidly,  from  being  out  of  funds  to  travel 
farther.  Thdy  can  pledge  something  to  carry  them  into  the 
fertile  interior,  to  be  afterward  redeemed  by  their  industry. 

It  can  aid,  as  in  Germany,  the  poorer  mechanic  in  misfortune, 
or  when  trade  is  dull,  to  dispose  of  his  old  stock  to  the  best 
advantage. 

Many,  stricken  down  suddenly  by  sickness  or  calamity,  may 
by  it  be  enabled  to  recover,  without  the  cold  world  being  the 
wiser.  They  will  thus  avoid  becoming  advertised  and  despair- 
ing paupers. 

It  can  refuse  the  proferred  deposit  of  the  drunkard,  and  help 
ferret  out  the  housebreaker. 

Desperate  youth,  hesitating  over  forgery,  suicide,  or  a  fouler 
crime ;  lonely  woman,  goaded  on  by  hunger  and  want  to 
weep  at  the  thoughts  of  a  sacrifice  that  will  seal  her  destiny, 
by  its  aid  at  the  critical  moment,  may  be  saved  from  ruin. 

A  few  months  since  a  stranger  stood  amid  a  crowd  in  tho 
theatre  of  the  immense  hospital  at  A'ionna,  looking  at  their 
first  surgical  operation  with  J^^ther.  They  had  just  received 
intelligence  of  the  discovery  by  the  last  steamer. 

Fancy  the  victim  calm  as  a  slumbering  infant.  The  knife 
glitters — the  blood  streams  !  There  !  the  gory  tumor  is  held 
up  in  triumph  !  But  the  patient  sleeps  on  without  a  twinge  of 
pain,  till  at  last  he  wakens  with  a  smile,  and  a  cry  of  joy  that  it 
is  over.  Tho  trial  has  succeeded  ;  a  forest  of  heads  bend  for- 
ward, there  comes  a  deafening  cheer,  and  a  group  gather  round 


372  APPENDIX.  [Lecture  II. 

the  stranger,  press  his  hand  with  enthusiasm,  and  congratulate 
him,  as  an  American,  on  the  discovery  of  his  countryman. 

And  why  was  all  this  commotion  among  a  crowd  of  passive 
Austrians  ]     It  was  a  hoon  to  the  afflicted  forever. 

Every  beneficent  institution,  whether  it  lulls  the  pangs  of 
hunger,  warms  the  aching  limbs,  or  binds  up  the  broken  heart, 
is  a  similar  agency. 

That  stranger  went  and  obtained  in  exchange,  in  that  same 
city  of  Vienna,  the  plan  of  an  excellent  contrivance  for  the 
relief  of  suffering.  It  has  been  tried  there  with  great  success 
nearly  a  century  and  a  half.  Will  you,  as  fairly  as  the  Vien- 
nese did  the  Ether,  help  to  try  this  invention  here  ]  It  needs 
little  but  credit  and  character.  Once  established,  it  will  sup- 
port itself.  More  than  this,  it  can  aid  your  poor-fund  or  Hos- 
pital. It  only  needs  a  charter  from  the  Legislature,  and  a 
dozen  retired  merchants  or  practical  business  men,  in  whom  the 
public  have  perfect  confidence,  as  Directors,  to  commence  ope- 
rations. 

The  SECRET  then  promised  to  you  in  parting — the  long-cher- 
ished idea,  but  for  which  these  lectures  would  probably  never 
have  been  delivered — is  that  of  a  Benevolent  Loan  Institu- 
tion FOR  the  City  of  Brooklyn. 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS 


AND 


SCHOOLS    OF    MEDICINE, 


My  dear 


Excuse  the  delay  which  has  occurred  in  replying  to  your 
letter,  containing  inquiries  respecting  European  Hospitals  and 
Schools  of  Medicine.  You  remember  that  your  questions 
were  very  comprehensive,  requiring  time  for  consideration. 
Besides  which,  I  may  as  well  tell  you  a  little  secret,  in  con- 
nection with  which  I  have  to  ask  a  favor  :  I  am  just  furnish- 
ing the  publishers  the  last  sheets  of  a  small  volume  of  travels. 
I  think  I  see  your  mischievous  smile ;  but  with  me  it  is  a  fearful 
fact.  Yes,  I  am  just  shivering  before  jumping  into  tlie  stream  ; 
or,  if  you  please,  just  trying  to  master  my  blushes  before 
being  weighed,  measured,  criticised,  and  stared  at,  by  the  great 
public. 

Only  very  special  reasons,  and  the  leisure  afforded  from 
practice  in  traveling,  would  have  tempted  me  into  this  little 
episode  from  my  profession.  The  duties  of  our  mutual  calling 
are  too  fearfully  responsible  to  allow  me  to  leave  it  long.  It 
was  my  spontaneous  choice,  my  earliest  love.  I  have  pledged 
it  devotion  for  life.  The  toils,  sufferings,  adventures,  hopes, 
and  fears  it  has  excited,  have  but  endeared  it  the  more.  You 
will  not  think  it  strange,  then,  if  I  can  scarcely  attempt  any 
thing  without  mixing  with  it  a  little  physic.  I  have  wished,  in 
some  way,  to  atone  for  this  excursion,  by  returning  to  my 
legitimate  occupation  at  the  close. 


374  APPENDIX. 


Large  numbers  of  our  physicians  and  students  of  medicine, 
like  yourself,  anxiously  wish  to  add  to  our  own  very  respect- 
able advantages  those  of  Europe.  To  those  who  have  the 
strongest  claim  upon  our  sympathies — the  toiling,  despairing, 
hoping  ones  in  the  midst  of  the  *'  chapter  of  early  struggles," 
and  nobly  rising  by  their  own  efforts,  the  leading  object  of  such 
a  tour  must  be,  to  spend  their  precious  means  and  time  to  the 
best  advantage.  With  the  hope  of  serving  such,  I  am  willing 
to  risk  some  sugcgjestions. 

The  thought  has  occurred  to  me  to  add  a  chapter,  as  an 
appendix  to  the  volume,  containing  the  principal  items  of  the 
medical  bill  of  fare  abroad  ;  but  I  have  been  puzzled  to  do  so 
gracefully. 

Your  letter  suggests  a  solution  of  the  difficulty.  Suppose 
you  allow  me  to  extend  this  reply,  so  as  briefly  and  familiarly 
to  go  over  the  ground,  publish  it,  instead  of  the  proposed  formal 
chapter,  and  bequeath  you  the  manuscript  ]  If  you  approve 
of  the  plan,  and  think  it  likely  to  benefit  any  of  our  fellow- 
sufferers  in  physic,  please  return  these  sheets,  at  your  earliest 
convenience,  to  be  lent,  for  a  few  days,  to  the  printer. 

As  more  Americans  go  there  to  study  than  to  any  other 
place  abroad,  we  will  commence  with  the  French  capital,  and 
notice  it  most  in  detail. 

The  civil  hospitals  of  Paris  are  under  the  management  of  a 
General  Council  of  Hospitals,  composed  of  seventeen  mem- 
bers, appointed  by  the  government,  having  a  central  office  near 
the  Hotel  Dieu,  where  the  secretary,  treasurer,  and  subordi- 
nates are  in  daily  attendance.  To  this  Bureau  Central,  as  a 
general  rule,  patients  must  apply  for  reception,  when,  after 
strict  examination  by  one  of  the  physicians  or  surgeons  attach- 
ed to  this  department,  they  are  sent  to  the  hospitals  in  which 
there  are  vacancies. 

A  central  apothecary  establishment,  bakery,  and  wine-cellar, 
under  the  control  of  the  general  council,  supply  all  the  hospi- 


FOREIGN  IIOSriTALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       375 

tuls  of  Paris.  Their  revenues  are  derived  from  bequests,  in 
real  estate  and  money,  a  large  annual  allowance  from  the  city, 
a  tax  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  receipts  of  the  theatres,  and  the 
profits  on  the  sales  in  the  public  cemeteries,  and  of  the  Mont  de 
Piete,  or  Benevolent  Pawning  Institution.  They  have  latterly 
reached  the  enormous  sum  of  nearly  three  and  a  half  millions 
of  dollars  in  a  single  year. 

There  are  thirty-one  places  of  refuge  for  the  sick  in  Paris. 
Of  these,  nine  are  general  hospitals,  for  the  reception  of  patients 
with  every  kind  of  malady,  with  three  or  four  exceptions  ;  ten 
are  special  hospitals,  for  the  treatment  of  particular  affections  or 
classes  of  patients  ;  and  the  remaining  twelve  are  hospices  or 
alms-houses  of  different  kinds,  with  departments  for  the  treat- 
ment of  disease. 

The  hospitals  are  usually  furnished  with  a  surgeon  or  phy- 
sician for  every  sixty  patients,  elected  by  concours,  as  will  be 
explained  presently,  and  paid  yearly,  according  to  time  of 
service,  from  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  three  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  These  are  assisted  by  one  or  more  internes, 
or  resident  physicians,  who  are  appointed  in  the  same  way 
from  a  list  of  competitors,  by  an  examining  jury.  These  last 
receive  between  seventy  and  eighty  dollars  salary,  and  board 
in  the  hospital.  They  are  generally  permitted  to  increase  their 
slender  resources  by  giving  practical  instruction  in  the  wards. 
The  dressers,  or  externes,  get  no  salary,  and  ai-e  allowed  to  five 
out  of  the  liospital,  visiting  the  wards  twice  a-day  to  attend  to 
dressing,  bleeding,  cupping,  and  the  like.  Foreigners,  as  well 
as  natives,  arc  allowed  to  comj)Cte  for  both  of  these  places,  and 
generally  tiic  candidate  who  sustains  the  best  examination  is 
impartially  chosen.  There  is  also  an  apothecaries'  assistant  for 
each  service,  appointed  in  the  same  manner. 

But  the  most  interesting  person  in  the  group  of  attendants 
who  follow  the  pliysiciaii  or  surgeon,  is  tlie  sister  of  charitify 
with  her  large  bunch  of  keys  and  wiiite  apron.    She  has  charge 


376  APPENDIX. 


in  his  absence,  and  administers  every  thing.  Though  not 
bound  by  vows  to  celibacy,  these  gentle  and  self-denying  crea- 
tures, commonly  devote  their  lives  to  the  care  of  the  sick. 
They  are  generally  beloved,  and  it  is  always  customary  for  the 
physician  to  address  the  one  in  attendance,  respectfully,  as 
"  mother  "  or  "  sister." 

Besides  these  there  are  a  general  supeiintendent  of  the  hos- 
pital, or  directeur,  and  a  steward,  or  econome. 

The  wards  are  usually  lai^ge,  lofty,  and  well-ventilated,  with 
floors  of  little  red  tiles,  or  inlaid  oak,  polished  with  wax,  and 
the  bedsteads  are  nearly  all  of  iron. 

Each  patient  costs,  one  with  another,  about  thirty-five  cents 
per  day.  The  mortality  averages  not  far  from  one  in  eleven. 
Bodies  not  reclaimed,  by  the  payment  of  about  twelve  dollars, 
for  their  burial,  are  taken  for  dissection.  Foreigners,  as  well  as 
natives,  are  admitted  to  all  the  hospitals,  open  to  the  medical 
public,  without  any  charge  or  formality,  other  than  asking  at 
the  proper  place  for  tickets  for  the  Hotel  Dieu  and  the  Hopital 
des  Cliniques.  To  avail  yourself  of  their  advantages,  however, 
you  are  compelled  to  rise  early,  swallow  a  cup  of  coffee  in 
French  style,  and  be  at  any  of  the  hospitals  at  about  seven  in 
the  morning,  as  all  the  visits  of  the  physicians  and  surgeons 
commence  about  that  hour.  Tlie  regular  clinical  lectures  and 
operations  usually  come  off,  after  the  visit,  from  nine  to  ten 
o'clock. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  interesting  to  notice,  more  particularly,  a 
few  of  the  principal  hospitals. 

The  oldest  in  Paris,  if  not  in  Europe,  is  that  of  the  Hdtel 
Dieu,  situated  in  a  rather  unhealthy  location,  partly  over  a 
branch  of  the  Seine,  and  close  to  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame. 
It  contains  about  a  thousand  beds,  and  presents,  on  the  whole, 
more  cases  of  interest  than  any  other.  Its  cliniques  and  wards 
are  always  thronged  with  students.  The  mortality  of  its  pa- 
tients exceeds  that  of  most  of  the  others. 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       377 

You  will  recollect  that  the  late  Baron  Dupuytren  was 
connected  with  Hotel  Dieu.  His  rival,  the  celebrated  Roux, 
is  now  senior  surgeon,  and,  therefore,  at  the  head  of  this 
department  of  the  profession.  Though  nearly  seventy,  he  still 
operates  with  surprising  facility  and  determination.  I  have 
seen  him  extract  cataract,  and  perform  some  of  the  more 
delicate  operations,  with  the  readiness  of  a  surgeon  in  his 
prime.  He  enunciates  so  badly,  however,  from  taking  snuff, 
or  an  impediment,  that  the  French  students  themselves  can 
scarcely  understand  him.  One  of  his  surgical  colleagues  is 
Blandin,  author  of  a  valuable  anatomical  work,  with  which 
you  are  doubtless  familiar.  He  is  one  of  the  neatest  oper- 
ators in  Paris,  and  a  very  pleasing  lecturer.  Professors 
Rostan  and  Chomel  are  among  the  physicians  to  the  Hotel 
Dieu,  and  attract  crowds  of  students  to  their  clinical  lec- 
tures. But  the  physician  (jf  this  vast  establishment  best 
known  abroad  is  probably  Baron  Louis.  He  has  a  tall,  com- 
manding figure,  and  fine,  intelligent  features.  His  powers  of 
observation  and  perception  of  nice  differences  are  extraor- 
dinary. You  can  not  have  read  his  works  on  phthisis  and 
typhoid  fexer,  without  being  convinced  of  this.  I  have  never 
listened  to  any  one,  who,  like  a  judge,  could  give  such  a 
masterly  summing  2ip  of  a  medical  case,  as  Louis.  He  will 
always  take  time  thoroughly  to  sift  an  obscure  affection.  Two 
or  three  intimate  friends  and  myself,  happened  to  take  a  par- 
ticular fancy  to  him,  following  him,  for  some  months,  more  than 
any  other  physician  ;  and  we  were  richly  repaid.  Yet  apart 
from  his  wonderful  elucidation  of  symptoms  and  diagnosis,  his 
treatment,  like  that  of  most  of  the  Parisian  physicians,  will 
probably  seem  too  expectant  and  inert.  Seltzer  water  in 
typhoid  fever,  and  gum  Arabic  in  phthisis,  are  standard  pre- 
scriptions. 

Next,  perhaps,  to  tho  Hotel  Dieu,  we  may  enumerate  the  hos- 
pital of  La  Charite,  situate  in  Rue  Jacob,  and  containing  about 


378  AITENDTX. 


five  hundred  beds.  With  those  fond  of  surgery,  Velpeau  is  the 
lion  of  this  place.  He  is  a  delicate,  precise-looking  person, 
below  medium  height,  and  a  little  turned,  fifty.  As  you  are 
aware  he  is  a  walking  library  in  his  profession.  He  lectures 
with  much  fluency  and  point,  and  with  a  clear  enunciation  of 
French  that  makes  him  a  favorite  with  foreigners.  You  will 
find,  jDerhaps,  a  greater  crowd  of  students  in  his  wards  than 
those  of  any  other.  Occasionally  he  magnifies,  and  gets  prolix 
upon  trifling  matters.  Some  even  whisper  that  he  sometimes 
shoots  with  the  long  bow.  Generally,  however,  his  clinical  in- 
structions are  exceedingly  interesting. 

His  notions  of  the  appareil  immovahle  in  fractures,  and  his 
treatment  of  varicose  veins  and  inflammation  of  the  joints,  are 
probably  familiar  to  you. 

Andral,  the  celebrated  pathologist ;  Rayer,  the  writer  on  dis- 
eases of  the  skin  and  kidneys  :  Fouquier,  the  introducer  o^  nox 
vomica  in  paralytic  affections  ;  and  Bouillaud,  the  Sangrado 
of  the  French  school,  are  physicians  to  La  Charite.  The  latter 
is  a  lively  caustic  lecturer,  but  you  will  probably  join  me  in 
beliex-ing  him  too  much  the  slave  of  two  or  three  dogmas.  His 
repeated  bleedings  (coup  sur  coup),  and  excessive  local  depletion 
of  the  thin,  nervous  Parisians,  even  in  typhoid  fever,  will  strike 
you  as  rather  eccentric.  You  will  probably  fear  that  his  "blow 
upon  blow"  system  often  knocks  down  and  "strangles"  the 
patient  rather  than  the  disease.  Yet  no  one  can  deny  the  ser- 
vice he  has  rendered  to  medical  science  in  his  investigations  of 
disease  of  the  heart  and  rheumatism. 

The  Hospital  of  St.  Louis  is  situated  some  distance  from  the 
rest  in  the  Faubourg  du  Temple.  It  is  next  in  antiquity  and 
size  to  Hotel  Dieu,  containing  some  eight  hundred  beds. 

St.  Louis  is  devoted  to  the  treatment  of  cutaneous  affections. 
There  are  clinical  lectures  on  diseases  of  the  skin  here,  during 
the  summer,  and  I  would  advise  you,  at  almost  any  sacrifice,  to 
attend  them.     Probably  there  is  no  place  in  the  world  so  rich 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.        379 

in  the  materials  for  the  study  of  this  department  of  the  profession. 
Alibert  and  Biett  were  formerly  physicians  here,  and  their  places 
are  worthily  filled  by  Cazenave  and  Gibert.  Tepid  baths  are 
used  as  accessory  means  in  dry,  scaly  eruptions,  the  alkaline  in 
tubercular,  papular,  and  some  scaly  forms,  and  the  sulphur  baths 
in  the  dechne  of  vesicular  affections.  Some  obstinate  cutaneous 
eruptions  have  latterly  been  found  to  be  benefited  by  cold  water. 
In  impetigo,  liquor  arsenicalis  is  given;  and,  in  some  forms  of 
eczema,  sulphur  and  quinine  are  sometimes  administered. 

M.  Lugol  is  physician  to  the  wards  for  the  treatment  of 
scrofula.  You  are,  doubtless,  familiar  with  his  investigations 
on  the  suDJect  of  iodine. 

As  you  pass  along  the  Rue  de  I'Ecole  de  Medecine,  you 
will  notice  in  one  place  an  imposing  edifice  on  each  side.  That 
on  the  right,  with  Ionic  columns,  is  the  School  of  Medicine,  and 
vthat  on  the  left  is  the  Hopital  dcs  Cliniques.  The  magnates  of 
this  hospital  are  Jules  Cloquet  in  sui'gery,  and  the  celebrated 
Dubois  in  obstetrics.  The  clinical  lectures  of  the  latter  are 
among  the  most  instructive  and  practical  lessons  you  will  hear. 
There  are  special  privileges  to  be  obtained  here,  about  which 
it  will  be  well  for  you  to  inquire. 

The  Hospital  of  La  Title  is  situated  near  the  Garden  of 
Plants,  and  contains  about  six  hundred  beds. 

Its  two  distinguished  surgeons,  Lisfranc  and  Auguste  Berard, 
have  died  since  I  left,  and  I  have  not  heai'd  the  names  of  their 
successors.  Jja  Pltie  is  one  of  the  best  places  in  Paris  to 
study  diseases  of  the  chest.  It  is  a  little  out  of  the  way,  so 
that  you  are  not  crowded,  and  these  aflections  are  there  rather 
a  favorite  speciality.  You  will  find  M.  Piorry,  who  is  one  of 
its  physicians,  a  perfect  enthusiast  on  this  subject.  He  is,  you 
remember,  the  inventor  of  the  Plcssimctcr  for  mediate  percus- 
sion. Like  the  celebrated  Laennec,  with  pardonable  fondness, 
perhaps,  he  places  too  mucli  emphasis  on  a  mere  instrument, 
where    you    find    your    own    fingers    so   satisfactory.     Yet   he 


380  APPENDIX. 


certainly  has  wonderful  tact  and  discrimination.  You  will  see 
him  tapping  his  little  piece  of  ivory  over  a  patient's  chest  for 
half  an  hour,  noticing  the  most  delicate  variations  of  sound, 
and  marking  upon  the  skin  or  under  dress,  with  a  large  lead 
pencil,  the  exact  boundaiies  of  pleuritic  effusion,  hepatized 
lung  or  cavity,  or  enlarged  liver  or  spleen. 

You  will  hear  some  laughing  at  what  they  term  his  extrava- 
gant refinement;  but,  after  all,  the  men  who  are  so  wrapped 
up  with  a  single  subject,  are  apt  to  impress  you  with  it  more 
than  any  otheis,  and  it  is  easy  for  you  to  make  a  little  allow- 
ance for  their  zeal.  M.  Piorry's  instrument  is  more  particu- 
larly useful  in  exploring  the  abdomen. 

From  the  broad  Rue  de  Sevres  you  enter  the  Ilopital  NeckeVy 
containing  a  hundred  and  twenty  beds,  and  founded  by  the 
widow  of  the  distinguished  statesman  of  that  name.  It  was 
here  that  Laennec  made  the  invaluable  discovery  of  auscul- 
tation in  diseases  of  the  chest.  You  may  usually  see  here  a 
good  many  cases  of  acute  diseases. 

M.  Trousseau,  to  whom  we  are  principally  indebted  for  the 
introduction  of  the  use  of  nitrate  of  silver  in  affections  of  the 
throat,  officiates  here. 

He  lectures  pleasantly,  and  prescribes  admirably.  His  use 
of  the  resources  of  the  Materia  Medica  is  far  more  liberal  than 
most  of  the  Parisian  physicians.  I  scarcely  remember  one 
whose  treatment  pleased  me  so  well. 

But  the  great  attraction  of  the  Necker  Hospital  is  Civiale. 
He  is  undoubtedly  the  first  in  his  speciality  in  the  world.  No 
medical  visitor  should  leave  Paris  without  witnessing  his  sur- 
prising manipulations  in  litliotrity.  It  is  really  a  ti'eat  to  see 
him  merely  use  a  catheter  or  bougie,  so  delicately,  tenderly,  and 
quickly  is  it  done.  His  lectures  are  always  crowded,  and  his 
text  is  gentleness. 

Close  to  this,  in  the  same  street,  is  the  Children's  Hospital, 
or  Hopital  des  Enfans   Malades,  partially  inclosing  spacious 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS   \ND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       381 

grounds.  It  numbers  upwards  of  five  hundred  beds,  and 
accommodates  patients  from  the  age  of  three  to  fifteen.  You 
will  be  particularly  interested  in  the  mode  of  treating  scrofula, 
croup,  chorea,  and  some  other  affections  among  the  little  patients 
of  this  larofe  establishment.     Great  use  is  made  of  medicated 

o 

baths. 

M.  Guerin,  the  editor  of  the  Gazette  Medicale,  is  oi'tho- 
pedic  surgeon  to  this  hospital.  The  fame  of  his  sub-cutaneous 
operations  for  deformity,  is  doubtless  familiar  to  you.  He  dis- 
plays wonderful  dexterity,  mechanical  ingenuity,  and  knowl- 
edge of  anatomy.  In  one  instance,  at  a  single  sitting,  he  is 
said  to  have  divided  the  muscles  of  the  arm  and  hand  forty- 
four  times.  His  weekly  cliuiqi/es  at  the  hospital,  in  summer, 
will  be  well  worth  your  attention. 

You  should  not  forget  to  visit  some  of  his  little  patients 
under  treatment  for  curvature  of  the  spine,  club-foot,  and 
other  deformities.  So  many  ingenious  machines — such  com- 
binations of  springs,  cushions,  clasps,  pulleys,  wheels,  splints, 
leather,  steel,  and  India-rubber,  for  straightening  people,  you 
will  never  have  seen  before. 

I  should  have  liked  to  have  included  in  this  brief  review  the 
practice  of  the  celebrated  Ricord  at  the  Hopital  du  Midi,  the 
pleasant  Hospital  of  13caujou,  and  the  minor  ones  of  St.  An- 
toine,  Hotel  Dieu  Annexe,  Cochin,  and  others,  but  really  I  find 
myself  likely  to  make  this  letter  so  long,  that  I  must  be  excused. 

As  I  mentioned  before,  just  opposite  the  Hopital  dcs  Clin- 
iques  is  the  School  of  Medicine. 

Entering,  perhaps,  with  a  crowd  at  a  given  signal,  you  find 
yourself  in  one  its  lecture  rooms,  capable  of  accommodating 
some  fourteen  hundred  students.  The  Parisian  Faculty  of 
Medicine  is  composed  of  twenty- six  professors,  most  of  wliom, 
either  in  winter  or  summer,  lecture  here.  They  are  salaried  l)y 
government,  at  from  about  four  hundred  to  nearly  two  thousand 
dollars  each,  and  are  thus  independent  of  their  pupils.     Kach 


382  ArPENDIX. 


of  these  has  an  assistant  professor,  or  agrege,  who,  in  case  of 
need,  lectures  in  place  of  the  professor,  but  receives  no  remu- 
neration, except  certain  privileges,  and  the  chance  of  being  ele- 
vated to  the  first  vacant  cliair. 

With  the  exception  of  the  blanks  for  vacancies  or  recent 
deaths,  the  foUow^ing  is  a  list  of  the  professorships  and  incum- 
bents : 

Anatorny,  ;  External  PaiJwlogy,  Marjolin  and  Gerdy; 

Internal  Pathology,  Dumeril  and  Piorry;  General  Pathology 
and  Therapeutics,  Andral ;  Medical  Chemistry,  Orfila ;  Legal 
Medicine,  Adelon ;  Clinical  Surgery  at  the  Hospitals,  Roux  at 
Hotel  Dieu,  Cloquet  at  the  Hopital  des  Cliniques,  Velpeau  at 

the  Charite, at  La  Pitie  ;    Clinical  Medicine,  Fouquier  and 

Bouillaud  at  La  Charite,  and  Chomel  and  Rostan  at  the  Hotel 
Dieu;  Clinical  Obstetrics,  Dubois  at  the  Hopital  des  Cli- 
niques ;  Medical  Physics,  Gavarret ;  Hygiene,  Royer  Collard  ; 
Medical  Natural  History,  Richard ;  Obstetrics,  Moreau ; 
Physiology,  Pierre  Berard ;  Pharmacy  and  Organic  Chemis- 
try, Dumas ;  Operative  Surgery,  Blandin ;  Therapeutics  and 
Materia  Medica,  Trousseau. 

The  branches  marked  in  Italics  constitute  the  winter  course, 
commencing  with  November,  and  terminating  in  March.  From 
the  beginning  of  April  to  the  end  of  July  is  included  in  the 
summer  course,  during  which  the  lectures  on  Pathology  and 
clinical  instruction  are  continued,  and  the  latter  branches 
of  the  above  list  given,  from  Medical  Physics  to  Materia 
Medica,  inclusive.  August,  September,  and  October  are  in- 
cluded in  a  vacation. 

All  the  above  lectures  are  free,  both  to  natives  and  foreign- 
ers ;  the  only  fees  are  those  paid  by  such  as  wish  for  the  Parisian 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  These  are  required  at  intervals, 
during  the  four  years  of  study  specified,  and  amount,  in  all,  to 
about  two  hundred  and  twenty  dollars. 

These  professors,  together  with  all  medical  officers  in  France, 


FORIliGN  IIOSriTALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       383 

civil  or  military,  do\vn  to  the  lowest  assistants  at  the  hospitals, 
are  appointed  by  the  concours.  A  day  is  fixed  and  jiublicly  ad- 
vertised, when,  before  a  kind  of  professional  jury  of  examiners, 
all  who  are  eligible  are  invited  to  appear  and  compete  as  for  an 
honorable  prize.  The  ordeal  is  often  fearfully  searching. 
Merit  alone  is  usually  the  test.  He  who  sustains  the  best  ex- 
amination, though  he  be  poor  and  friendless,  is  preferred.  In 
this  way  Baron  Dupuytren,  Velpcau,  and  some  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  in  the  profession,  have  been  enabled  to  rise 
to  the  highest  honors  from  very  obscure  circumstances.  The 
former,  indeed,  trimmed  his  lamp  from  the  dissecting-room  ; 
and  the  latter  was  bred  a  country  blacksmith.  A  project  has 
been  agitated,  recently,  to  modify  this  system,  as  is  supposed, 
to  increase  the  patronage  of  the  government,  but  it  is  believed 
not  to  have  succeeded. 

A  Parisian  student  of  medicine  obtains  his  degree  by  five  dif- 
ferent examinations,  distnbutcd  at  nearly  equally  distant  periods 
during  the  four  years  of  his  course.  The  last  of  these  is  prac- 
tical, and  consists  in  prescribing  for  two  patients,  selected  from 
the  wards  of  the  Clinical  Hospital,  in  presence  of  the  professors. 
Rather  a  liberal  education  in  the  classics,  mathematics,  and  gen- 
eral science,  as  guaranteed  by  the  diploma  of  Bachelor  of 
Science,  is  required.  A  little  further  on  in  the  same  street  as 
the  School  of  Medicine  are  Dupuytren's  museum,  and  the  dis- 
secting halls  of  the  Ecole  Practique.  Here  you  may  have  a  course 
of  dissections  for  several  wrecks,  with  the  material  found  you, 
and  a  capital  demonstrator  to  assist,  all  for  not  quite  five  dollars, 
or  for  the  same  sum,  a  little  later,  you  may  hear  an  excellent 
course  of  lectures  on  operative  surgery,  from  some  ambitious 
young  surgeon,  and  then  perform  all  the  operations  twice  on  the 
dead  subject.  The  Ecole  Practique  is  sometimes  rather  filthy 
and  ofiensive,  and  you  will  find  every  thing  more  pleasant,  and 
a  more  liberal  supply  of  material,  by  paying  some  ten  or  twelve 
dollars  fur  three  or  four  months'  dissections  at  the  extensive  Ana- 


384  APPENDIX. 


tomical  School  at  Clamart.  This  is  the  finest  establishment  of 
the  kind  in  the  world.  It  is  kept  very  clean,  and  is  furnished 
with  pleasant  walks  and  grounds.  The  above  are  the  only  two 
places  where  dissections  are  allowed  ;  and  from  some  experience 
of  both,  even  with  a  much  longer  walk,  I  would  strongly  advise 
you  to  choose  the  latter. 

Among  the  greatest  privileges  of  those  who  go  to  Paris, 
merely  for  a  finish  to  their  medical  studies,  are  the  special 
private  courses  given  by  the  internes  in  the  hospitals,  and  others. 
Many  young  men  lecture  and  give  lessons  in  this  way  more  for 
reputation  than  any  thing  else.  These  courses  generally  last  a 
month,  and  cost,  on  an  average,  some  four  or  five  dollars  each. 
The  classes  usually  contain  from  four  or  five  to  a  dozen  or  more. 
Some  of  the  most  distinguished  professors  have  junior  repre- 
sentatives, who  famiharly  and  practically  teach  the  doctrines  of 
their  masters  in  this  way.  Thus,  perhaps,  you  may  get  a  brush- 
ing on  physiology,  with  experiments  on  animals,  from  Magen- 
die's  assistant;  or  an  excellent  drilling  in  auscultation  and  per- 
cussion, at  the  bedside,  from  Piorry's  interne,  at  Jja  Pitie ; 
or  you  may  imbibe  the  doctrines  of  Dubois,  second-hand  ;  or 
gi'ow  wise  with  the  microscope,  or  put  an  emphasis  on  almost 
any  branch  of  medical  knowledge  you  please. 

There  is  a  quiet  original.  Monsieur  Ribail,  living  not  far  from 
the  School  of  Medicine,  who,  for  six  weeks,  and  months  after,  will 
give  you  what  he  calls  a  *' perpetual"  course,  and  enlighten 
you  to  your  heart's  content,  on  the  subject  of  bandaging  and 
minor  surgery,  for  the  modest  sum  of  not  quite  three  dollars. 

There  are  many  distinguished  men,  and  many  professional 
advantages  I  have  not  space  to  notice.  The  valuable  lectures 
and  facilities  for  the  study  of  com2:>arative  anatomy,  and  various 
accessory  branches  of  natural  history,  at  the  Garden  of  Plants, 
and  many  other  matters  have  been  omitted. 

For  further  details,  I  may  refer  you  to  the  excellent  descrip- 
tions of  Stewart,  Lee,  and  others. 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.      385 

In  conclusion,  I  may  remark,  that  the  bright  traits  of  the 
French  school  will  probably  seem  mingled  with  some  little 
faults.  With  a  few  exceptions,  the  treatment  appears  rather  too 
temporizing  and  inactive.  The  broken  down  Paiisians,  it  is 
true,  are  not  the  subjects  for  heroic  depletion.  But,  then,  you 
will  occasionally  see  feeble,  vitiated  constitutions,  sinking  with 
typhoid  symptoms,  left  to  nature  and  starvation,  or  amused 
with  poultices  to  the  abdomen,  gum  water^  lavements,  and  the 
like,  when  you  would  be  generously  pouring  in  beef-tea,  wine, 
and  carbonate  of  ammonia,  to  sustain  them.  Yet  the  typhoid 
fever  of  Paris,  with  its  lesions  of  the  intestinal  canal,  will  not 
bear  stimulation  like  Irish  typhus.  Parisian  practice  does  not 
eeem  eclectic  enough.  There  appears  to  be  a  Httlc  too  much 
theory  and  visionary  speculation.  Each  physician  is  too  often 
the  slave  of  some  favorite  doctrine.  The  operations  in  surgery 
are  skillful  and  excellent,  but  the  after-treatment  and  the  medical 
surgery  are  not  so  good.  Union  by  the  first  intention  is  not  suf- 
ficiently encouraged,  and  the  patient's  strength  is  often  unsup- 
ported. There  is  an  excessive  fondness  for  greasy  applications 
and  thick,  oppressive  bandaging  and  compresses,  even  in  warm 
weather. 

Yet  there  are  more  redeeming  traits.  In  skillful  diagnosis, 
brilliantly  eloquent  lecturers,  profound  knowledge  of  important 
epecialities,  and  rich  variety  of  medical  advantages,  easy  of 
access,  I  know  of  no  city  equal  to  Paris. 

Perhaps  we  cannpt  select  fairer  illustrative  examples  of  the 
medical  institutions  of  Germany,  than  those  of  Vicuna  and 
Berlin. 

We  will  commence  with  the  former. 

Joseph  II.,  son  of  Maria  Theresa,  and  one  of  the  most  liberal 
and  beneficent  rulers  of  Austria,  suppressed  several  other  in- 
stitutions, and,  assisted  partly  by  their  revenues,  founded  an 
immense  hospital,  which,  regarded  in  every  point  of  view,  is 
probably  the  first  in  Kurope.     The  AJJgenieine  Krankenhau^, 

R 


380  ArPENDlX. 


as  it  is  termed,  is  situated  in  the  outer  or  sulmrb  city,  covers 
probably  more  than  a  dozen  acres  of  ground,  employs  nearly 
three  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  attendants,  from  the  head 
physicians  downward,  with  salaries  amounting  to  some  $40,000, 
and  accommodates  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  patients, 
when  filled. 

You  will  perceive  that  is  as  large  as  four  or  five  of  the  larger 
Parisian  hospitals  put  together.  In  fact,  it  is  a  sort  of  little 
medical  city  of  itself,  the  families  of  the  physicians,  professors, 
and  attendants,  being  all  furnished  with  residences  in  the  hos- 
pital buildings. 

There  are  three  classes  of  patients,  of  whom  those  of  the 
first  pay  forty  florins  (about  $20)  a  month,  and  have  each  a 
separate  room  and  nurse,  and  receive  better  fare  ;  those  of  the 
second  class  pay  twenty-seven  florins  a  month  ;  and  those  of 
the  third  class,  if  able,  pay  nine  florins  monthly,  with  inferior 
accommodations,  in  larger  wards.  Diflerent  trades,  distant 
localities,  employers,  and  even  foreign  ambassadors,  are  some- 
limes  called  upon  to  pay  for  those  who  have  the  least  claim  to 
their  protection. 

Each  important  class  of  diseases  has  a  division  of  the  hos- 
pital particularly  appropriated  to  it,  under  the  charge  of  some 
one  paying  more  exclusive  attention  to  such  speciality. 

There  are  three  leading  characteristics  in  which  the  modern 
Viennese  school,  as  represented  in  this  hospital,  exceeds,  per- 
haps, any  other  :  the  study  of  morbid  anatomy,  auscultation 
and  percussion  of  the  chest,  and  diseases  of  the  eye. 

In  a  retired  spot  in  the  rear  of  the  hospital,  side  by  side, 
with  a  door  communicating,  are  a  couple  of  roomy  apartments, 
in  a  small  building  of  one  story.  In  one  of  these  all  the  bodies 
of  those  who  have  died  in  this  immense  hospital  are  examined  ; 
and  in  the  other,  all  the  subjects  of  suspicious  death  in  the  city 
of  Vienna,  or  such  as  would  demand  the  coroner  in  this  coun- 
try.     You  enter  at  eight  o'clock  in  the   morning.      A   stout, 


FOREICiN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       387 

middle-aged  gentleman,  with  Polish  features,  and  rather  stoop- 
ed, is  passing  backward  and  forward,  superintending  the  dis- 
sections in  both  dejDartments.  It  is  the  celebrated  Professor 
Rokitansky.  In  each  there  is  an  assistant,  who  uses  the 
scalpel  with  great  facility,  and  dictates  aloud,  in  German, 
the  morbid  appearances  to  a  clerk,  who  takes  notes  of  each 
case. 

In  what  we  would  term  the  coroner's  department  there  are 
frequent  cases  of  poisoning  and  infanticide.  Some  are  the 
subjects  of  severe  wounds  or  injuries,  which  leave  most  of  the 
organs  perfectly  healthy  ;  and,  by  merely  passing  from  one  room 
to  the  other,  you  can  compare  these  with  the  diseased  struc- 
tures of  the  fever  patients,  and  others  who  have  died  in  the 
hospital. 

These  constant  comparisons  of  healthy  with  unhealthy  organs 
are  particularly  useful  in  studying  those  liable  to  alterations 
in  size,  such  as  the  liver,  kidneys,  spleen,  and  heart. 

There  are  rarely  less  than  fifteen  or  twenty  bodies  examined 
every  morning ;  and,  after  this  practical  lesson,  you  may  listen 
to  a  lecture  on  the  most  interesting  cases,  by  the  first  living 
pathologist.  These  advantages,  so  far,  are  free  of  expense ; 
but,  by  paying  some  fifteen  dollars,  you  may  have  a  special 
private  course  with  Rokitansky,  in  which  he  will  go  over  the 
specimens  in  the  rich  museum,  and  allow  you  to  assist  in  post 
mortem  examinations. 

Altogether,  there  arc  no  such  advantages  for  studying  this 
department  of  professional  knowledge  in  any  other  city  in  the 
world. 

Unfortunately,  he  lectures  very  indistinctly,  and  in  something 
of  a  drawling  tone,  so  that,  unless  you  arc  quite  at  home  in 
German,  you  can  scarcely  understand  him. 

Professor  Skoda,  as  you  may  be  aware,  is  the  author  of  one 
of  the  best  works  in  any  language  on  the  physical  signs  of 
diseases  of  tlie  chest.     He  combines  the  profoundly  philosophic 


383  APPENDIX. 


observation  of  Louis  with  the  tact  and  precision  of  Piorry.  As 
a  teaclier  of  auscultation  and  percussion,  I  honestly  believe  him 
to  be  the  first  of  the  age.  His  theories  and  classification  of 
sounds  are  somewhat  original,  and  differ  in  some  points  from 
those  of  Laennec  and  Hope.  A  few  of  those  upon  which  the 
former  placed  emphasis  are  set  down  by  Skoda  as  "  2'?2determi- 
nate,"  and  unimportant. 

As  a  cause  of  the  bronchial  sounds  in  inflammatory  diseases, 
and  the  harshness  and  resonance  of  the  breathing  at  the  upper 
lobes  of  the  lungs,  among  the  early  signs  of  phthisis,  he  places 
great  stress  upon  what  he  terms  "  consonance." 

The  walls  of  a  cavity,  by  approximating  in  structure,  may 
echo  the  sound,  or  vibrate  in  unison  with  a  note  from  another 
source :  thus  a  guitar-case  consonates  with  the  strings.  He 
considers  that  tubercles  or  inflammation  solidify  the  walls  of 
the  air  passages,  and  thus  fit  them  to  consonate  with  the  larynx 
and  trachea.  He  is  very  careful  to  emphasize  "  insufficiency" 
of  the  valves  of  the  heart. 

His  treatment  is  very  mild  and  expectant — too  much  so,  as 
you  would  say.  Ipecacuanha  is  a  staple  with  him,  and  he 
rarely  bleeds  in  pneumonia.  Like  many  celebrated  physicians 
you  will  see  upon  the  Continent,  his  attention  seems  so  riveted 
upon  the  diagnosis  and  symptoms  of  the  disease,  that  the  cure 
of  the  patient  appears  rather  too  much  like  a  secondary  matter. 
Yet,  with  his  excellencies,  you  are  not  forced  to  copy  any  little 
defects. 

In  addition  to  the  advantage  of  such  a  teacher,  there  are  two 
large  wards  selected  and  supplied  with  the  most  interesting 
cases  in  the  hospital,  for  the  particular  purpose  of  studying 
diseases  of  the  chest,  and  teaching  this  speciality. 

The  most  rare  varieties  of  morbid  sound,  ai'e  here  well  il- 
lustrated. For  the  trifling  sum  of  about  five  dollars,  you  may 
receive  an  excellent  private  course  of  instruction,  from  Skoda's 
assistant,  with  the  privilege  of  leisurely  examining  patients  in 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       309 


these  wards.  I  never  attended  any  thing  of  the  kind  so  satis- 
factory. 

The  Opthalmic  School,  of  Vienna,  owes  its  chief  glory  to 
the  celebrated  Beer.  Under  his  pupil,  Rosas,  it  is  still  pro- 
bably the  first  in  Europe.  Professor  Rosas  delivers  most  in- 
structive clinical  lectures,  several  times  a  week,  in  the  theatre 
arranged  by  Beer.  He  pays  great  attention  to  the  constitu- 
tional treatment  in  affections  of  the  eye.  You  will  be  de- 
lighted with  some  of  the  arrangements  of  this  part  of  the 
hospital  to  promote  cleanliness. 

The  assistant  of  Rosas,  for  a  tiifle,  gives  a  capital  private 
operatic  course,  with  suitable  material,  and  another  on  the 
diagnosis  of  diseases  of  the  eye. 

Medical  education  is  cheap  in  Austria,  costing  those  who 
graduate,  about  one-half  the  fees  in  Paris.  Foreigners,  not 
wishinfT  a  des^ree,  have  access  free.  The  examinations,  as  in 
France,  are  distributed  through  the  course  of  study,  which  lasts 
five  years,  of  which  the  two  last  are  devoted  specially  to  prac- 
tical studies.  The  clinical  instruction  in  the  wards  is  in  Latin, 
and  the  students  are  obliged  every  day  to  converse  with  the 
professor,  by  the  bedside,  in  that  language.  When  you  re- 
member the  immense  number  of  Latin  terms  in  medicine, 
familiar  to  every  student,  you  will  sec  that  it  is  not  so  difficult 
for  those  unaccustomed  to  this  colloquial  use  of  Latin  to  com- 
prehend it  pretty  readily.  Any  one  who  can  read  the  easier 
authors,  can  understand  it  without  much  difllculty.  Skoda 
speaks  it  with  much  distinctness  and  a  pleasant  accent. 

You  will  perhaps  see  no  wards  so  well  arranged,  for  clinical 
instruction,  in  any  hospital,  as  some  of  those  in  that  of  Vienna. 
Each  patient  has  a  student,  in  the  fourth  or  fifth  year  of  his 
course,  who  writes  out  a  very  minute  history  of  the  case,  aixl 
the  treatment,  in  Latin,  and  places  it  upon  a  large  sheet  of 
paper,  whicli  is  affixed  to  a  board,  at  the  head  of  the  jialient's 
bed,  and  submits  both   to  the  examination,  and   conection,  of 


390  APPENDIX. 


tlie  professor,  in  the  presence  of  a  crowd  of  students,  every 
morning.  The  name  of  the  disease,  and  several  leading  par- 
ticulars, are  also  chalked  in  large  letters,  in  Latin,  on  a  black 
board,  suspended  at  the  head  of  each  patient's  bed. 

In  general  surgery,  Vienna  is  decidedly  behind  Paris,  Berlin, 
or  London,  and  you  will  think  the  practice  of  physic  somewhat 
too  inert  and  speculative.  Yet  some  of  the  arrangements  for 
giving  practical  instruction  are  so  excellent,  and  some  branch- 
es are  cultivated  with  such  enthusiasm,  as  to  more  than  atone 
for  this. 

The  principal  hospitals  of  Berlin  are  those  of  the  old  and 
the  new  Charite,  situated  close  to  each  other,  in  the  outskirts 
of  the  city,  and  containing,  between  them,  some  twelve  hun- 
dred beds. 

In  the  larger  Charite  there  is  a  very  fine  operating  theatre, 
and  the  whole  arrangement  of  the  wards  is  admirable.  Be- 
sides the  clinical  professors,  there  are,  attached  to  the  service, 
six  intelligent  house-j^hysicians  and  surgeons.  I  happened  to 
have  made  the  acquaintance  of  one  of  these,  imder  very  favor- 
able circumstances,  some  months  previous  to  my  visit,  and 
through  his  kindness,  I  was  better  enabled  to  appreciate  the  in- 
ternal economy  of  these  hospitals.  In  some  of  their  details 
they  are  superior  to  any  others  I  saw  upon  the  continent. 

Berlin  hospital  practice  is  exceedingly  like  the  English.  It 
is  much  rqore  active  and  varied  than  that  of  Austria  or  France. 
Both  depletion  and  support  are  more  vigorously  affected.  You 
will  see  here,  that  peculiarity  in  German  practice,  almost  un- 
known to  us ;  the  frequent  exhibition  of  the  hydrochlorate,  or 
as  we  used  to  say,  the  muriate  of  ammonia.  It  is  much  used 
in  chronic  bronchitis,  and  the  derangements  of  the  liver  and 
spleen,  which  often  follow  the  intermittents  that  prevail  at 
Berlin. 

Professor  Schonlein,  of  the  Charite,  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  first   practical    physicians  of  Germany.     A  translation  of 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       391 


his  principal  work  would  be  a  valuable  addition  to  our  own 
medical  literature.  You  may  possibly  have  noticed  some  of 
his  excellent  clinical  lectures,  reported  in  some  of  the  English 
medical  periodicals. 

The  lamented  Dieftenbach,  so  long  at  the  head  of  Prussian 
surgery,  was  busily  lecturing  and  operating  at  the  time  of  my 
visit.  He  wns  moderately  full  in  person,  and  short  in  stature, 
and  the  cast  of  his  face,  and  something  in  his  style  of  ojierating, 
reminded  me  of  our  own  Mott. 

It  is  a  tribute  which  I  should  feel  delicate  in  paying  to  the 
living,  to  say  that,  as  a  stranger,  1  never  had  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  a  distinguished  member  of  the  profession,  so  com- 
pletely occupied,  that  was  more  kindly  honored,  than  that  to 
Baron  Dieflenbach. 

Professor  Jiingken,  the  celebrated  oculist,  and  a  bold  and 
dexterous  operator  in  general  surgery,  has  succeeded  him  at 
the  Char'dL 

In  compound  fractures  the  limb  is  sometimes  fitted  in  a  box 
of  sand,  over  which  a  piece  of  oil-cloth  is  laid ;  the  unequal 
pressure  of  splints  is  thus  avoided,  and  the  inflamed  part  kept 
cool,  and  in  position.  When  the  wound  is  healed,  and  the 
swelling  subsided,  the  hmb  is  done  up  in  starched  bandages 
and  pasteboard  splints. 

Where  thei-e  is  too  profuse  suppuration,  with  excellent  effect, 
the  limb  is  enveloped  in  a  cloth  wet  with  a  solution  of  the 
nitrate  of  silver,  in  the  proportion  of  five  grains  to  the  ounce. 

The  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Berlin  has 
already  attained  a  very  high  celebrity.  Muller,  the  first  physi- 
ologist of  the  day,  is  one  of  the  professors. 

The  regulations  with  ret-ard  to  strangers,  however,  are  not 
SO  liberal  as  at  Paris  or  A'icnna.  l^nlcss  temporarily  by 
courtesy,  through  letters  c^f  introduction,  you  will  not  bo 
expected  to  attend  either  the  lectures  of  the  University,  or 
visit   regularly  the  hospital,  without   paying  the  entrance  fees 


392  APPENDIX. 


of  an  ordinary  student.  Yet  the  matured  science  of  the 
former,  and  the  superior  medical  and  surgical  practice  of  the 
latter,  are  worth  the  extra  trouble,  if  your  attainments  in 
German  and  your  time  will  allow. 

I  have  written  much  more  than  I  intended,  and  I  will  detain 
you  but  little  longer. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  every  medical  work  of  any  note, 
published  in  Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  is  in  our  own  lan- 
guage, and  is  immediately  reprinted  here,  and  owing  to  the 
republication  of  their  leading  medical  journals,  the  great  mass 
of  the  profession  in  the  United  States,  are  almost  as  famil- 
iar with  the  character  of  their  hospitals  and  schools,  and  the 
opinions  of  their  lecturers  and  writers,  as  those  of  our  own 
country. 

Whether  from  these  causes,  the  similarity  in  the  physicial 
character  of  our  population,  or  in  the  practical  observing 
genius  of  the  people,  our  treatment  generally  resembles  theirs, 
much  more  than  that  of  the  continent.  But,  on  this  very 
account,  we  should  pay  their  medical  institutions  more  marked 
attention  in  our  visits  abroad. 

It  will  hardly  be  news  to  you,  to  say  that  Bartnolomew's 
and  Guy's  are  the  first  hospitals  in  London — that  the  latter  is 
one  of  the  most  richly  endowed  in  the  world,  having  had 
bequeathed  to  it  upward  of  a  million  dollars  by  its  founder, 
Thomas  Guy,  a  bookseller,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  and 
nearly  as  much  more  by  Thomas  Hunt,  in  1829.  St.  Thomas's 
Hospital  is  close  to  Guy's,  in  the  Borough.  The  other  general 
hospitals,  commencing  with  the  larger,  are  those  of  St.  George, 
Middlesex,  London,  Westminster,  King's  College,  LTniversity 
College,  and  Charing  Cross. 

Most  of  these  have  connected  with  them  Schools  of  Medi- 
cine, and  a  number  of  professors.  Not  being  state  institutions, 
but  independent  charities,  as  one  means  of  increasing  their 
revenue,  they  receive  pretty  liberal  fees  from  the  students  who 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.        393 

attend  them.  However  we  might  wish  they  could  afford  to 
have  it  otherwise,  it  would  not  be  honorable  for  any  one  who 
has  not  received  his  degree,  to  make  more  than  temporary 
visits  to  the  hospitals,  without  complying  with  this  regulation. 
To  foreign  physicians  or  surgeons,  regularly  introduced  as  such 
to  any  of  their  medical  officers,  the  courtesy  of  free  admission  to 
the  hospitals  and  schools  is  commonly  readily  extended. 

In  behalf  of  intimate  friends  and  myself,  I  can  not  help 
particularly  remembering  the  kind  attentions  received,  as 
strangers,  during  several  months,  at  St.  Bartholomew's. 

Good  letters  of  introduction,  indeed,  are  more  necessary  and 
beneficial  in  England  than  almost  any  where  else ;  and  I  would 
advise  you  to  be  well  provided.  The  English,  from  custom 
or  constitution,  are  a  little  more  reserved  and  ceremonious 
than  some  other  nations,  upon  short  or  limited  acquaintance ; 
but  once  well  introduced  either  in  the  social  or  professional 
circle,  you  will  find  them  most  generously  hospitable. 

London  has  rapidly  increased  in  medical  importance  of  late 
years.  You  will  find  there  quite  a  constellation  of  stars  in  the 
profession.  If  you  look  over  any  good  surgical  library,  or 
even  its  list  of  contributors  to  the  Cyclopedia  of  Practical  Med- 
ichie  alone,  you  will  be  surprised  at  the  number. 

Sir  Benjamin  Jirudic  lectures  occasionally  at  St.  George's  ; 
Mr.  Lawrence,  Mr.  Stanley,  Dr.  Burro wes,  and  Dr.  Rigby,  are 
at  St.  Bardiolomew's  ;  Mr.  Bransby  Cooper,  Mr.  Key,  Dr. 
Bright,  Dr.  Addison,  and  Dr.  Golding  J^ird,  at  Guy's  ;  Mr. 
Green,  Mr.  South,  and  Dr.  Marshall  Hall,  at  St.  Thomas's  ;  Dr. 
Watson,  Dr.  Budd,  Mr.  Arnott,  and  Mr.  Fen^uson,  at  King's 
College  ;  Mr.  Samuel  Cooper,  Dr.  Williams,  and  Dr.  Walshe, 
at  University  College  ;  Mr.  Shaw  and  Dr.  Latham,  at  Middle- 
sex, and  Dr.  Pcreira  and  Mr.  Curling,  at  the  London  Hospital. 

You  will  see  a  greater  amount  of  good  practical  surgery  in 
London  than  any  other  city  in  the  world.  A  population  of  two 
millions  aflbrd  a  constant  supply  of  material,  and  the  influence 


391  APPENDIX. 


of  a  few  master-spirits  has  latterly  made  tliis  a  favorite  study. 
Cooper,  Liston,  Brodie,  and  Lawrence  are  names  that  pass 
current  every  where,  and  possess  a  charm  even  with  us  across 
the  Atlantic.  The  operating  days  are  different  in  the  different 
hospitals,  so  that,  if  you  wish  to  devote  yourself  particularly  to 
surgery,  by  going  from  one  to  another,  you  can  see  a  large 
number  of  operations,  accompanied  with  clinical  observations, 
almost  every  day.  You  must  not  forget  the  excellent  Opthalmic 
Institution,  in  Moorfields. 

I  would  also  particularly  recommend  you  to  get,  through 
some  of  the  members,  admission  to  the  exceedingly  interesting 
discussions  at  the  Medico-Chirurgical  and  other  societies. 

You  will  not  find  the  same  advantages  for  studying  speciali- 
ties in  London  as  in  Paris,  and  you  will  miss  the  private 
courses.  But  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  influence  of  a  free  press, 
or  the  practical  genius  of  the  profession,  the  hospital  practice 
of  the  former  will  probably  strike  you  as  much  the  best.  It  is 
more  careful  and  varied. 

The  English  physicians  give  a  great  deal  of  medicine — too 
much,  you  will  say;  but  they  display  great  judgment,  and  ex- 
cellent knowledge  of  materia  medica  in  prescribing.  You  can 
depend,  too,  upon  their  honesty  and  veracity.  If  continental 
practice  is  too  speculative  and  inactive,  that  of  Great  Britain, 
on  the  other  hand,  is,  perhaps,  too  heroic,  and  mercurials  are 
more  boldly  given  than  with  us.  Taken  as  a  whole,  however, 
it  exhibits  traits  of  great  excellence.  The  patients  of  the  Brit- 
ish hospitals  will  bear  to  advantage  more  treatment  than  their 
southern  neighbors.  Diseases  are  very  apt  early  to  assume  a 
typhoid  character,  and  you  will  particularly  admire  their  gen- 
erous and  judicious  management  of  low  forms  of  fever  and 
erysipelas. 

Much  to  ray  regi'et,  my  stay  at  Edinburgh  was  so  brief  as 
not  to  allow  me  to  visit  satisfactorily  her  famed  medical  in- 
stitutions. 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       395 


If  other  cities,  however,  have  risen  in  this  respect,  she  has 
never  fallen.  If  you  look  over  the  list  of  great  names  in  Lon- 
don, you  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  many  of  them  have 
hailed  from  the  "  Modern  Athens." 

One  of  the  very  best  practical  schools  of  medicine  in  the 
world  is,  doubtless,  that  of  Dublin.  To  be  convinced  of  this, 
you  have  only  to  reflect  upon  the  really  valuable  additions  it 
has  made  to  the  literature  of  the  profession  within  the  last 
twenty  years. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  mention  the  names  of  Colles, 
Graves,  Stokes,  Clmrchhill,  Marsh,  Kennedy,  Harrison,  Jacob, 
and  others.     They  have  become  household  words  in  medicine. 

In  the  rigid  adherence  to  the  ordeal  of  experience,  patient 
observation  of  medical  facts,  and  the  abandonment  of  empty 
theorizing,  you  will  find  the  Dublin  school  equal  to  that  of 
London,  and  in  some  things  more  eclectic  and  liberal.  They 
have  introduced  here  something  of  the  German  system  of 
clinical  instruction.  The  facilities  fur  the  study  of  anatomy 
are  rather  better  than  those  of  London  ;  and  in  obstetrics  I 
may  record  my  honest  conviction,  that  Dublin  excels  any  other 
place  in  Europe. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  you  will  probably  meet  with  no  practice 
abroad  that  will  please  you  better  than  that  of  Stevens',  the 
Mealh,  and  the  Lvincr-in  Hospital.  The  terms  of  admission 
are  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  London  ;  but  there  being 
fewei"  strangers  at  the  Irish  capital,  they  naturally  receive  more 
courtesy  and  attention.  Letters  of  introductiun  are  far  less 
necessary.  This  may  arise  from  so  many  of  their  countrymen 
liaving  found  a  home  with  us,  or  their  natural  warmth  of  char- 
acter; but  it  is  generally  a  j^assport  to  the  heart  of  an  Irishman, 
in  his  own  country,  to  say  you  are  an  American.  There  is 
more  quiet,  and  less  to  distract  and  weary  you,  than  in  London 
or  Paris. 

In  reply  to  your  inquiries  regarding  expense,  I  have  striven 


396  APPENDIX. 


to  give  you  a  general  idea  as  to  medical  matters.  I  found 
living  in  Vienna,  the  cheapest  of  any  of  the  capitals  I  have 
mentioned.  Next  to  this,  you  will  probably  find  your  outlay 
increase,  in  different  cities,  in  the  following  order,  Paris,  Berlin, 
Dublin,  London,  the  last  being  the  dearest. 

The  more  careful  class  of  American  students  spend  from  five 
or  six  hundred  to  a  thousand  dollars  a  year  in  Paris.  Some 
of  the  French  and  Italians,  however,  manage  to  exist  on  two  or 
three  hundred. 

I  may  recapitulate,  by  saying,  that  in  the  study  of  anatomy, 
human  and  comparative,  botany,  chemistry,  and  diagnosis,  de- 
formities, diseases  of  the  skin,  and  some  other  specialities,  of 
the  places  named,  I  should  prefer  Paris ;  in  pathology,  diseases 
of  the  chest  and  eye,  Vienna;  sensible  German  practice,  Berlin; 
surgery,  London ;  obstetrics,  and  the  practice  of  medicine, 
Dublin.  Only  a  few,  in  our  large  cities,  confine  themselves 
mainly  to  surgery.  To  the  great  mass  of  the  profession,  the 
two  last  branches  mentioned  are  the  most  important. 

Any  medical  friend  going  abroad  to  obtain  knowledge,  rather 
for  use  than  show,  or  not  quite  familiar  with  French  and  Ger- 
man, I  should  advise  to  sj^end  a  very  considerable  portion  of 
his  time  in  the  Irish  capital.  The  great  bulk  of  American  stu- 
dents have,  I  am  confident,  lost  by  confining  themselves  too 
closely  to  Paris,  and  neglecting  too  much  London,  Edinburgh, 
and  Dublin.  I  have  thus  frankly  committed  myself,  with  some 
hesitation,  but  without  fear  or  favor.  You  know  how  easy  it  is 
for  a  stranger  to  get  slightly  exaggerated  impressions,  and  you 
can  take  the  opinions  just  expressed,  for  what  they  are  worth. 
They  are  the  result  of  honest  conviction,  and  only  stated  for 
the  consideration  of  fellow-laborers  in  the  same  arduous  calling, 
in  the  hope  of  doing  good. 

Ours  is  a  profession  of  fearful  responsibiUty.  The  fate  of 
dearest  relatives,  the  greatest  of  earthly  blessings,  that  without 
which  all  others  are  vain,  nay  life  itself,   are  intrusted  to  our 


FOREIGN  HOSPITALS  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE.       397 

care.  If  conscientious — whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  the 
world,  as  to  their  relative  worth — we  can  not,  we  dare  not 
neglect  the  best  means  in  our  power,  to  qualify  us  for  the  stern 
realities  of  the  bedside.  The  best  school  of  medicine  is  that 
which  is  most  practical,  and  the  most  important  branches  are 
those  which  most  directly  aid  us  in  the  great  object  of  our  pro- 
fession— the  saving  of  human  life. 

Faithfully  vours. 


THE      END. 


i^arpcr'0  JCcro  Catalogue. 

A  NEW  Descriptive  Catalogue  of  Harper  &  Brothers'  Publica- 
tions is  now  ready  for  distribution,  and  may  be  obtained  gratuitously  on 
application  to  the  Publishers  personally,  or  by  letter,  post-paid. 

The  attention  of  gentlemen,  in  town  or  countrj',  designing  to  form  Li- 
braries or  enrich  their  literary  collections,  is  respectfully  invited  to  this 
Catalogue,  which  will  be  found  to  comprise  a  large  proportion  of  the  stand- 
ard and  most  esteemed  works  in  English  Literature — comprehenuino 
ABOUT  TWO  thousand  VOLUMES — wliich  are  offered  in  most  instances  at 
less  than  one  half  the  cost  of  similar  productions  in  England. 

To  Librarians  and  others  connected  with  Colleges,  Schools,  etc.,  who 
may  not  have  access  to  a  reliable  guide  in  forming  the  true  estimate  of 
literary  productions,  it  is  believed  the  present  Catalogue  will  prove  espe- 
cially valuable  as  a  manual  of  reference. 

To  prevent  disappointment,  it  is  suggested  that,  whenever  books  can 
not  be  obtained  through  any  bookseller  or  local  agent,  applications  with 
remittance  should  be  addressed  direct  to  the  Publishers,  whch  will  be 
promptly  attended  to. 

82  Cliff  Street,  New  York, 


DUE  DATE 

.   ..ate 

ILiKtc 

SEP  0  5 

1999 

'•  ^' 

Vk 

Printed 
In  USA 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 

III  I  II    nil  ||l|ll  II  llllllll  I  II  I  l|| 


0040758044 


940. 9r 


C812 


